History – Going Postal: Recent Episodes
None
Ruffians, alone or in groups of two or three, descend from different directions along gloomy London streets on a sharp winter’s weekday night in February 1894. Amongst them is a figure in a top hat [more...]
“Bei den Fraüen geschätzt” In my DAK militaria collection I have a series of Feldpost letters, starting in May 1942, sent by a Deutsche Afrika Korps soldier, Hans Walden, to a Fraü H. Bronnold in [more...]
I suspect that all Puffins are fervently hoping that the US Presidential Election will result in the return of the Donald to the White House. If this happens, it will be an unusual but not [more...]
Sergeant Michael (Mick) Willetts, GC 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment 13th August 1943 – 25th May 1971 Citation The Queen has been graciously pleased to approve the posthumous award of the George Cross to: [more...]
The Docks at Avonmouth – near Bristol – were constructed in the 1860s, extended with the construction of King Edward Dock (opened 1908) & by the start of The Great War was considered one of [more...]
On a crisp February afternoon on a non-descript Thursday in 1894, tram conductor Mr William Smith issued a through ticket from Westminster Bridge to Greenwich. On entering the horse-drawn tram, the passenger concerned wore a [more...]
In September 1955, the Manchester Evening News sent my uncle to interview Group Captain Douglas Bader – Jerry F There was a time — not so long ago — when for seven weary months I [more...]
Well then, seems I’ve been pressured into writing this one as a result of a suggestion from a Puffiness (who shall remain nameless (Yes, I’m looking at you…)). Rather than celebrating the dreadful Americanism that [more...]
Free Gear Kier has said reparations are off the table only to find that the Commonwealth leaders have put it firmly on his table. The prediction has to be that this weakling will cave in [more...]
Puffins will be devasted to read this is the last episode of Postcard From Birmingham. But thrilled to hear myself and Mrs AWS have been saving up our pennies and coordinating our days off to [more...]
The Venona Project was launched by the US Army Signal Intelligence Service in February 1943. The Russians had sent thousands and thousands of coded and enciphered messages over commercial telegraph services. The US Army decided [more...]
In a previous post, “Will Mushrooms Bloom in Haifa?” I postulated that Iran’s recent swarm attack might not be a simple, if potentially deadly, diplomatic slap at Israel for killing one of their progeny’s leaders [more...]
The parallels between France and Kenya, and between Emmanuel Macron and William Ruto, lead us to question what fundamental trends brought both countries to experience quite similar crises, to which both leaders responded in a [more...]
Like many another Mediterranean city Naples looks better seen from a distance. Approached from the sea, preferably at first light, its beauty takes your breath away. Close up too much of it is an offence [more...]
It is a short walk from the twin towers, past the oldest house in Bologna, to Via Santo Stefano. For the most part the journey is under a colonnade of stone, cast in cool shadow [more...]
In recent weeks we have allowed ourselves to be distracted by summer riots, 1980s football matches and pop concerts, the Falkland Islands and even the delivery of mail to the South Pole at Christmas. Puffins [more...]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94J1-XdJS1A Featured song: Roy Orbison – It’s Over This is a series of articles looking at pop music from 1955 when in my opinion proper pop music began up to 1999 when they stopped making [more...]
As we all know ‘the first casualty of war is the truth’. That short sentence sums it up neatly. Deception and propaganda are legitimate aspect of warfare. Both sides of a conflict try, in the [more...]
Underneath the appropriate concern of conventional airborne attacks on Israel by Iran and its progeny lies an anxious appraisal of a potential nuclear attack. That fear is the basic driving force of U.S. policy towards [more...]
September, 2024 The log had fallen from my eye. It was time to come from behind the screen and take action. If you were to ask 16-year-old me whether a day would come when I’d [more...]
Where a smile masks a city’s sorrow This a Tale from the Vienna Woods. A Tale told on a spring morning when, from the white cafe tables perched high on the Kahlenberg, the Danube really [more...]
There are two schools of thought, volunteer for everything, never volunteer for anything. I knew a chap sent to the South Atlantic. At Mount Pleasant airfield in what the Guinness Book of Records describes as [more...]
In 1956 the play Look Back in Anger was first staged in Britain. Written by John Osborne, it was the story of Jimmy Porter – who came to symbolise a new force in postwar Britain – the [more...]
Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat, Keir Starmer is stealing pennies from the old man’s hat, and we continue our journey around the Isles of Scilly. Tresco was once called St Nicholas, or [more...]
31 August, 2024 A generation after the 1980s debt crisis triggered the rebirth of democracy on the continent, will Kenya’s youthful idealists spark a pan-African revolt? The protests in Kenya mark a turning point [more...]
And so to Italy, but not before making sure the Buildings and Maintenance team had been fully drilled in the routines required to ensure I didn’t return to any kind of disaster. I needn’t have [more...]
Having parachuted nine miles to the west of ARNHEM during the early afternoon of 17th September 1944 2nd Parachute Battalion, reinforced by elements from the 1st Parachute Brigade reached the road bridge at dusk. In [more...]
Ruto’s wings have been clipped and we are watching over him carefully, monitoring all his movements. Until he surrenders. August, 2024 When we were children, my friends and I loved hanging out every evening [more...]
I have been watching them all morning; those bicycle wheels going round and round and round the Leidseplein. There is something hypnotic about it. Something a little frightening too. Like watching life on a perpetual [more...]
There should be a law against circular railway stations, especially those with exits at each point of the compass. The danger is, once outside, visitors don’t know where they are or in what direction they’re [more...]
The Puffin is a well-travelled and well-connected bird. Last week’s unread article detailed the need for little women in my evening job’s bargain retail outlet to tunnel next door to Discount Toy Canyon and steal [more...]
In parallel with building the baseboard, desert and buildings (see Part 1), I started to collect and assemble the DAK armour, vehicles and figures to populate the diorama. My preference is for kits made by [more...]
August 14, 2024 The evidence of colonial Britain’s attempt to eliminate the Talai a century ago is only now coming to light, as the last of the survivors seek justice. Above: Kibore Cheruiyot Ng’asura, 102 [more...]
A cold east wind, blowing in short, stinging gusts all the way from the Russian steppes, swoops down over Brussels. It sets all the gilded weather-cocks spinning madly, that boisterous wind. It slaps the cheeks [more...]
Myself and my wife fussed over our Kitkats and coffees and peeled off the Standard Premium antimacassars to make it look as though were travelling First Class. Little did we realise our day trip to [more...]
We play a game at work with girls’ heights. There is a reason for this. Colleagues are going to build a tunnel to the shop next door and steal their toys. To confuse the local [more...]
As well as researching “Desert Mysteries” and the exploits of the “Desert Fox”, amongst my other hobbies is the construction of scale model dioramas. For a diorama, I design and build by hand the baseboard, [more...]
The Home Guard is institutionalised at the National Police Service and is evident in the lives that have been claimed through state-sanctioned violence during the ongoing Gen Z protests. 14 August 2024 According to a [more...]
On his way home from reporting on Kenya for the Birmingham Mail in 1955, my uncle John Alldridge filed this report from Uganda – Jerry F Colour problem in reverse Almost 50 years ago another [more...]
Borneo (Kalimantan to the Indonesians) is the second biggest island in the world. Along its northern coast, one third of the island lay three British dependant territories – the colony of Sarawak, the Sultanate of [more...]
The Vietnam War started in 1955 and ended with the fall of Saigon in 1975 when the Americans left in a hurry. It has been described as the first televised war but a claim to [more...]
Police brutality during the #RejectFinanceBill protests has shown us that while politicians can afford to sit back and wait for the 2027 general election, we the citizens of Kenya do not have that luxury. They [more...]
In 1955, at the height of the Mau Mau Rebellion, my uncle John Alldridge produced a series of reports from Kenya for the Birmingham Mail and the Manchester Evening News – Jerry F Wally’s lion [more...]
On Thursday, 25th July, Mrs AWS and myself struck out for Birmingham New Street. One of our Standard Premium day trips, it’s memorable – even without hindsight – by a heightened presence of the transport [more...]
The “Deutsches Afrikakorps” (DAK) were formed in 1941 after the failure of the Italian defence of their North African colonies against the British advance in Operation “Compass”. The Germans sent out the DAK, initially composed [more...]
In May, there were public discussions on the Finance Bill and although concerns were raised on taxation of essential services and other issues connected to it, public participation became a facade and concerns of taxpayers [more...]
In 1955, at the height of the Mau Mau Rebellion, my uncle John Alldridge produced a series of reports from Kenya for the Birmingham Mail and the Manchester Evening News – Jerry F Nairobi The [more...]
As we make our way back from an enjoyable day trip by train to Edinburgh, Mrs AWS and I have pause for thought as we pass through Lockerbie, scene of the 1988 bombing which claimed [more...]
‘The Shortest History of England’ by James Hawes is not too short and tops the scales at 272 pages. A bright chap, the 64-year-old writer graduated in German from Hertford College, Oxford, and studied for [more...]
American presidencies have typically followed the expected path of an election cycle, with presidents either completing their terms or being voted out of office. However, the history of the United States includes several presidencies that [more...]
Weeks of anti-government demonstrations demand an end to bad governance, corruption and for President Ruto to step down. 24 July 2024 Nairobi, Kenya – Daniel Wambua did not flinch, even as police fired tear gas [more...]
In 1955, at the height of the Mau Mau Rebellion, my uncle John Alldridge produced a series of reports from Kenya for the Birmingham Mail and the Manchester Evening News – Jerry F Nairobi With [more...]
First an apology. I was going to insert photos into this piece, but the ones I took were rubbish and not wishing to compromise SB’s site with unauthorised clips I gave up with the visuals. [more...]
As Mrs AWS and I flash through the Scottish Lowlands after our day trip to Edinburgh, passing through Lockerbie station reminds us of events decades ago and thousands of miles away. Nowadays the term ‘Gulf [more...]
In Part 3, I included a photograph of a Hawker Hart with most of its fabric covering stripped off as a potential Desert Mystery regarding its fate. Further research has revealed that K4907 apparently had [more...]
Kenya’s Third Liberation Movement It’s no longer just about the finance bill. Kenyans want fundamental change. July 16, 2024 If the point of protest is to create a counter-crisis, then the people’s movement in Kenya [more...]
In 1955, at the height of the Mau Mau Rebellion, my uncle John Alldridge produced a series of reports from Kenya for the Birmingham Mail and the Manchester Evening News – Jerry F Kamiti I [more...]
Returning home from our day trip to Edinburgh, myself and Mrs AWS have pause for thought as we eat our Burger Kings in Standard Premium. Beyond our train window, the peaceful Scottish Lowlands flash past. [more...]
Featured song: Bert Weedon – Guitar Boogie Shuffle This is a series of articles looking at pop music from 1955 when in my opinion proper pop music began up to 1999 when they stopped making [more...]
On 25 June 2024, a youth-led protest primarily composed of Gen Zs, as they are popularly referred to, stormed Kenya’s parliament. Legislators voted to pass the Finance Bill 2024 in its third and last reading [more...]
Before my late uncle could take part in “air policing” the Middle East (see Part 1) and when not exploring the local sights and antiquities (see Part 2), he was learning to fly. My uncle [more...]
In 1955, at the height of the Mau Mau Rebellion, my uncle John Alldridge produced a series of reports from Kenya for the Birmingham Mail and the Manchester Evening News – Jerry F Vachakos First [more...]
Returning home from our day trip to Edinburgh, myself and Mrs AWS have pause for thought as we eat our Burger Kings in Standard Premium and watch the Scottish Lowlands flash past from the train [more...]
There are terms and phrases which remain in use today, despite the fact they were coined many years or many centuries ago. In some cases it is quite remarkable that they have survived and stand [more...]
In Desert Mysteries Redux – Part One, I recounted the ‘Desert Mystery’ of the fate of my uncle in Transjordan in 1938. Whilst he was in the desert and not harassing rebellious Arab gangs via [more...]
Every time I look at that picture, I seem almost to be looking out from near where I live, although the vista that includes St. Michael’s Mount is less distantly hazy, and the Mount more [more...]
Setting off from Edinburgh on a splendid May day, Mrs. AWS and I enjoy our Burger Kings. In the mad world of railway pricing, one of only two differences between Avanti Trains Standard Premium and [more...]
Featured song: Jerry Lee Lewis – Great Balls Of Fire This is a series of articles looking at pop music from 1955 when in my opinion proper pop music began up to 1999 when they [more...]
In the original Desert Mysteries series, I wrote about a 1939 edition of Blackwood’s magazine bought at an antiques fair that led me to research the lives of the men who had read it and [more...]
In 1955, at the height of the Mau Mau Rebellion, my uncle John Alldridge produced a series of reports from Kenya for the Birmingham Mail and the Manchester Evening News – Jerry F Fort Hall, [more...]
Mrs AWS and I are enjoying our May day-trip to Edinburgh, but time is tight. After walloping down (£10) ice creams, we must hurry to Waverley station if only to watch our train depart the [more...]
In 1955, at the height of the Mau Mau Rebellion, my uncle John Alldridge produced a series of reports from Kenya for the Birmingham Mail and the Manchester Evening News – Jerry F Nairobi Terror [more...]
Lord Leighton’s peerage was, reputedly, the shortest ever, subsisting for one day: ‘Leighton was the bearer of the shortest-lived peerage in history; after only one day, his hereditary peerage became extinct upon his death.’[Wikipedia] He [more...]
Mrs AWS and I are enjoying our day trip to Edinburgh. Although we’re used to exploring Princes Street, this time we are swept in a crowd of alighting passengers at Edinburgh’s Waverley station in the [more...]
By Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert. The results of the EU elections are causing despair among liberal activists around the world. Irresponsibly, some [more...]
In the film “Lawrence of Arabia”, Lawrence is asked, “What is it, Major Lawrence, that attracts you, personally, to the desert?” His response was, “It’s clean. I like it because it’s clean.” This quote is [more...]
By Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert. France appears increasingly isolated in its decision to intervene directly in the Ukrainian conflict. Not even major [more...]
Dubuque, Iowa The first thing you learn about the Middle West is the bigness of it. You could, for example, sink without trace the whole of Switzerland in Lake Michigan. The Illinois River at Peoria [more...]
I have a strange sensation in my trousers while strolling Edinburgh’s Royal Mile arm in arm with Mrs AWS. Behave yourselves. Regular readers will be unsurprised to learn my work colleagues pay me not to [more...]
The Royal Tank Museum In Part 4, I described the vehicles that belonged to the British and Arab “Special Forces” of WW1 and WW2 that are displayed in The Royal Tank Museum in Amman, Jordan. [more...]
By Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert. The persecution of political dissidents in the US is becoming commonplace. People who oppose Washington’s aggressive foreign [more...]
I’m “penning” this missive a little earlier that I normally would, as I have a busy weekend coming up. Accordingly, it won’t be as up to date as I’d normally like, but I’m sure my [more...]
In 1955, at the height of the Mau Mau Rebellion, my uncle John Alldridge produced a series of reports from Kenya for the Birmingham Mail and the Manchester Evening News – Jerry F Tactical Force [more...]
Having exhausted Edinburgh’s King’s Gallery, myself and Mrs AWS spilled into the street and faced the caravan park, timeshares, swimming pool, shop and public lavatory complex opposite. Hold on a minute. On closer observation, the [more...]
Featured song: Elvis Presley with Hound Dog This is a series of articles looking at pop music from 1955 when in my opinion proper pop music began up to 1999 when they stopped making it. [more...]
The Royal Tank Museum Amman in Jordan is home to one of the best museums of its type in the world, The Royal Tank Museum. A project of the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, the [more...]
On a chill November night in 1864 a small boy lay trembling behind a rock — not a hundred yards from where I am writing this — and watched a city burn. It was the [more...]
On our day trip to Edinburgh, Mrs AWS and I de-trained on Waverley’s Platform 9 at 12:17 prompt. While a disappointing first-class breakfast rattled in our tums, we allowed ourselves to be swept out of [more...]
In Part 1, I described how from the signatures on the front cover of a June 1939 edition of “Blackwood’s Magazine” purchased from an antiques fair, I found that the original owner, Edward Davis Moore, [more...]
Took a little trip out to Appleby Castle last week. It has a well preserved Norman keep and it’s trying very hard (though not, as yet, fully succeeding) to turn itself into an historical visitor [more...]
John Doe is Asking Awkward Questions The last thing I expected to pick up in this capital city of a great Republic (“the greatest Republic on God’s Footstool,” as I heard a Senator from Illinois [more...]
Featured song: Bill Haley & His Comets with “Rock Around the Clock”. This is a series of articles looking at pop music from 1955 when in my opinion proper pop music began up to 1999 [more...]
The dirt that Andrey Derkach shared about Hunter’s Burisma corruption scandal made him an enemy of the American and Ukrainian governments. Former Ukrainian MP Andrey Derkach, who’s reviled by the Biden Administration for sharing dirt [more...]
In Part 1, I described how, from the signatures on the front cover of a June 1939 edition of “Blackwood’s Magazine” purchased from an antiques fair, I found that the original owner, Edward Davis Moore, [more...]
By Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico, suffered an assassination attempt on May 15th. The politician was [more...]
Over the main entrance of Providence City Hall is a bust of one Roger Williams, the founder of this city. You can see another representation of him in Roger Williams Park, where yesterday the youth [more...]
I’ve been following Daily Mail columnist and author Peter Hitchens – literally. The surprise being we only recently fell into correspondence. Both of us are keen on railways and church, enjoyed minor public school and [more...]
Some years ago, for only a few pounds, I purchased from a local antiques fair a June 1939 edition of “Blackwood’s Magazine”, this magazine and miscellany (pictured) ran from 1817 to 1980. I bought it [more...]
“In his seventh and final article JOHN ALLDRIDGE writes of Tunis and the triumphant end of a campaign.” – Manchester Evening News, November 23 1949 Tunis, Monday I thought I saw a ghost in Tunis [more...]
The fact that Iran provides weapons to Palestinians is not heinous at all, because a population under “belligerent occupation” (in the wording of the Geneva Conventions) has the right to “resist”. And Tehran’s decision to [more...]
Who could have thought in the middle years of the twentieth century that the then-nascent Eurovision Song Contest could, a mere seven decades hence, be described by serious commentators as ‘noncing s***’? Albeit the commentator [more...]
At this rate, there’s no longer any credible chance that France will revive its independent foreign policy traditions after the five major foreign policy mistakes that Macron made over just the last two years. He’s [more...]
“In the sixth of his articles John Alldridge writes of Bizerta, where a song was born, an Army vindicated itself, and a gigantic building plan went awry.” – Manchester Evening News, November 22 1949 Bizerta, [more...]
“History shall be kind to me for I shall write it” wrote Sir Winston Churchill at the end of the Second World War. He had previously written a six volume history of the First World [more...]
The good ship “Fru Alida” Even less well known than Denmark’s triangular trade is the history of Danes and Norwegians as victims of slavery. North African pirate raids were a problem that affected coastal communities [more...]
David Lean’s 1957 film depicted the bridge as a significant timber structure located in the deep jungle, spanning a narrow river featuring rocks and rapids. This is of course a work of fiction and was [more...]
“In the fifth of his articles John Alldridge writes of the holy city of Kairouan. It was here that the First Army and the Eighth Army, all the way from El Alamein, finally linked up.” [more...]
My military experience is limited to playing tabletop wargames in my youth. I played American Civil War with 1/72nd scale Airfix figures, moulded in blue or grey plastic. Some of my figures even got painted… [more...]
As everyone knows, the Cold War was won by minor public school boys with bad degrees from embarrassing new universities. Sat on the banks of the Danube they sketched Czech freight trains disguised as if [more...]
Transatlantic slavery was ended in 1833 by Britain after a campaign by William Wilberforce. It is one of the key dates in British history, and Wilberforce is a name known to everyone. Britain may have [more...]
Step forward to the present day; SWMBO and I have been visiting Thailand for many years and decided it was time to head out to the Death Railway as Grandad Humbug had been in Burma [more...]
We will not close Ethiopia’s consulate in Garowe, Puntland roars back In a tough-worded statement, Puntland maintained its desire to continue collaborating with Ethiopia on social-economic front. The Federal Government of Somalia’s military toothlessness is [more...]
“In the fourth of his articles John Alldridge writes of Longstop Hill as it is today — “a totally unremarkable hill” — and recalls the fighting which has made its name a legend.” – Manchester [more...]
“What are you doing next week?” asked the voice on the other end of the phone, “Nothing that I cannot move or delay,” I replied; recognising the voice as Linas, a Lithuanian with whom I [more...]
Railway Construction Initially, the railway construction schedule allowed reasonable working conditions to be imposed on the POWs who, at that time, formed the majority of the skilled workforce. This combined with the fact that the [more...]
The second and third-order effects of their work could influence America’s deep state and electoral dynamics once their final report is published and inadvertently amplified by the Mainstream Media in a desperate attempt to discredit [more...]
“In the third of his articles John Alldridge writes of Medjez el Bab, a name which he says the Lancashire Fusiliers will one day carry on their regimental colours.” – Manchester Evening News, November 14 [more...]
“Had he not wrapped himself in a discarded cloak, Ulysses would have frozen to death at Troy. Our hero’s host, Eumaeus the swineherd, hears the story and gets the hint: He loans Ulysses a cloak, [more...]
Back when motoring was fun…. Tom Robinson was singing this song about our road network to us back in the Seventies, when he wasn’t sharing his anthemic “Sing if you’re glad to be gay”. That [more...]
Le Grand Fromage – The Socialist The son of a physician in France’s northwestern Haute-Normandie région, Hollande was educated at the elite École Nationale d’Administration (more of that later when president), where his classmates included [more...]
The big shift Of course, this is the Left, but also the Right, of the good old days. The days of gentlemanly conduct and of real sportsmanship during a debate. These were the days when cultivated, curious [more...]
The Elan Valley is a picturesque haven for nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts. Nestled within the Cambrian Mountains region, this area is often referred to as the last wilderness in Wales due to its unspoilt [more...]
Welcome pop pickers. This week we start the Disco era. This is what we heard at the Youth Club in the early 1970’s through to the late 1980’s, when most nights were party nights, men [more...]
More writings by uncle, John Alldridge. This time he is reporting from South America in 1960 for the Birmingham Evening Mail – Jerry F A boom city built on oil So I end as I [more...]
The gliders wallowed behind their Heinkel 111 tug aircraft in the thin, turbulent air above the mountains. The lead aircraft sighted the long mountain ridge and the Gran Sasso Mountain behind it, gave the order [more...]
Nicolas Sarkozy, American agent1 (The Frog on the Seine is all mine all mine) On 2nd September 2005 Jacques Chirac suffered a serious stroke and ceased to govern. He was no longer able to execute [more...]
Those of us who have read and studied political history, who have closely observed its evolution and especially those who have taken note of all the tactics and ploys used over the last couple of [more...]
It has been too long since I offered up to the folk of this parish a ‘deep dive’ of my literary musings. I’ve a scattering of unfinished articles but something somewhat meatier was needed to [more...]
Aberystwyth Aberystwyth, colloquially known as ‘Aber’, is a university and seaside town located in Ceredigion, Wales. It’s the county’s largest town, with a population of 15,935, and sits on the west coast of Wales, offering [more...]
This week we are back to the singers. Thank you to Wiki and Top of the Pops. I have always enjoyed those singers who really do have an outstanding voice, and when combined with an [more...]
More writings by uncle, John Alldridge. This time he is reporting from South America in 1960 for the Birmingham Evening Mail – Jerry F The capital of the Inca Empire I am very susceptible to [more...]
This speech was made on April 24, 1933, six years before the second World War, seven years before the battle of Britain, when Winston Churchill was fifty-nine years old. There are a few things I [more...]
In the summer of 1943, the terrible reality of total war was the closest wolf to the Italian population’s sledge. Mussolini’s grandiose plans for a new Roman Empire that would stretch across Southern Europe and [more...]
Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa in Welsh) is the highest mountain in Wales, standing at an elevation of 3,560ft above sea level. As such, it holds the title as the highest point in the British Isles [more...]
Welcome pop pickers to episode 4 of Genre 2, Glam Rock. This week back to Glam Rock. Thank you to Wiki and Top of the Pops. Courtesy of Wiki: New Romantic acts in the UK such [more...]
More writings by uncle, John Alldridge. This time he is reporting from South America in 1960 for the Birmingham Evening Mail – Jerry F The country where strangers get drunk on fresh air and where [more...]
For Kenya’s Western-controlled political stomachs, with the expected support of Kenya’s Lame Stream, the same agenda continues. Post Ruto’s signing off (or in his case, thumbprint of the Finance Act 2023) under direction of US [more...]
We are working our way through each of the eighteen Groups of the Periodic Table (a.k.a. the Periodic Table of the Elements), with the general idea behind this series being to ensure that at least [more...]
It’s a fair cop guv. I’m always prepared to admit when I’m wrong, and I was wrong big time about Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. I fully expected Russia to steamroller and flatten the place, [more...]
‘LOVE THOU THY LAND’: TENNYSON LOVE thou thy land, with love far-brought From out the storied Past, and used Within the Present, but transfused Thro’ future time by power of thought. True love turn’d round [more...]
Snowdonia National Park Snowdonia National Park, known as Eryri in Welsh, is a significant natural region located in northwestern Wales. It is the largest national park in Wales, covering a total of 823 square miles. [more...]
This is Genre 1, Motown, episode 5. For those of a certain age this will bring back some fond memories and get your foot tapping. If you are a lot younger, as this is such [more...]
More writings by uncle, John Alldridge. This time he is reporting from South America in 1960 for the Birmingham Evening Mail – Jerry F Caution: This article contains descriptions which some may find upsetting – [more...]
Translation of the full text of the original 1215 edition of Magna Carta from Latin into modern day English. Which clauses were later omitted and which are still valid today? Notes on the English translation [more...]
This humble author takes no pleasure in relating to Puffins the following tragic tale from the history of his own Debatable Lands, unearthed while researching his family tree. In the never-ending side-shifting quicksands of genealogical [more...]
11 August 2023 The last month or so has been dramatic in the non-existent Kenyan corridors of power because of the controversial Finance Act, 2023. It is not only one of the first major laws [more...]
Conventional wisdom has it that prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour the USA was sitting pretty and ignoring what was going on in the world. To an isolationist American public this was exactly [more...]
In the summer of 1932, my grandfather and his pregnant wife set off in a motorcycle and sidecar for a motoring tour of North Wales. In our last episode we recalled their stop in Liverpool. [more...]
Welcome pop pickers. This is based on stuff like what I like, there will be various bands and artists to try and cheer you up and kick-start your weekend. Hopefully for many of you, to [more...]
More writings by uncle, John Alldridge. This time he is reporting from South America in 1960 for the Birmingham Evening Mail – Jerry F Over The Stone Curtain of The Andres Buenos Aires was as [more...]
In Part One I described the processes involved in reloading the (to me at any rate) ‘modern’ .303 British cartridge, all stages of which can easily be automated. Now let’s look at what is involved [more...]
Mathare 19 July 2023 Mathare 19 July 2023. Aside ongoing power cuts, internet restrictions, Kenya’s Western proxy President William Ruto again finds himself between a rock and a hard place as business, religious leaders and [more...]
Another week, another element. Let’s head off on another exciting elementary excursion. You’ll get the idea now that I hope to ensure that at least one element is included from each of the eighteen Groups [more...]
We are all aware daily of our ongoing “conflict” with our new chief “adversary” in the world, the Chinese Communist Party. Warnings about the need to increase defense spending to prepare for possible war with [more...]
Holiday 1932 My father’s parents were married on 8th October 1931. My grandfather, Elihu, was a 25-year-old mechanic. His bride, Edith, was four years his junior and worked in a wool shop. My grandfather left [more...]
Amongst a century of detritus at the BBC there lies some buried treasure. Between layers of fake news, preachy left-wing documentaries and un-funny comedy, the BBC’s iPlayer hides a gleaming gem of an old archaeology [more...]
More writings by my uncle, John Alldridge. This time he is reporting from South America in 1960 for the Birmingham Evening Mail – Jerry F Paraguay: The Irish beauty who started a lunatic war I [more...]
Introduction Two questions that I am regularly asked when shooting my long-obsolete 19th century rifles at our local club range are i) how much does it cost to make one cartridge? and ii) how long [more...]
If this kind of theoretical reasoning seems too abstract, let us think about it more practically: Any public servant, any member of government, and even the leader of a nation, has very different motivations than [more...]
Are you a Politically Exposed Person? Bankers now cancelling politicians Great Resetters expose themselves Central banks behind ID, shot and depop Single ledger would track all assets, paws and plants Humans become just another resource [more...]
Skegness Skegness is a popular seaside town located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea. Known for its sandy beaches, it is a traditional destination for holiday-makers from across the UK. Its famous mascot, [more...]
More writings by uncle, John Alldridge. This time he is reporting from South America in 1960 for the Birmingham Evening Mail – Jerry F I am writing this at a window seven floors up above [more...]
For decades already, one of the most popular and commonly employed attacks of Keynesians and other left-leaning economists was the one against the idea of “trickle down economics”. They ridiculed the notion that a rising [more...]
Here we go, with another foray into the world of chemical elements. As I’ve said, the plan is to make sure at least one element is included from each of the eighteen Groups of the [more...]
It’s difficult to be enthusiastic about 1938, a year in which England was on the brink of World War II. The policy of appeasement, led by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, was in full swing. Aimed [more...]
Welcome pop pickers. Back to Rock ‘n’ Roll, the early days. This is the sort of music that makes you want to tap your feet, dance, and singalong. Thank you to Wiki, Britannica, and Top [more...]
There is tons of paper based ephemera left behind from recent times. Most of it is of interest to someone, and much of it describes life in the UK and abroad from the 1830’s Stuff [more...]
In 1969, my uncle, John Alldridge visited New Guinea to “observe the attempt to weld a primitive people to a modern society”. This is the last of his reports for the Vancouver Sun. – Jerry [more...]
Eastbourne is a charming seaside resort town situated in East Sussex on the south coast. Known for its Victorian seafront, it lies 19 miles east of Brighton and 54 miles south of London. According to [more...]
Welcome pop pickers. This is based on stuff like what I like, there will be various bands and artists to try and cheer you up and kick-start your weekend. Hopefully for many of you, to [more...]
Here we are again, off on our elementary excursions. As I have mentioned before, I hope to ensure that at least one element is included from each of the eighteen Groups of the Periodic Table [more...]
In 1969, my uncle, John Alldridge visited New Guinea to “observe the attempt to weld a primitive people to a modern society”. This is the fourth of his reports for the Vancouver Sun. – Jerry [more...]
Beachy Head Beachy Head is a prominent chalk headland located in East Sussex. It’s known for its stark white chalk cliffs that rise around 530 feet high, making it the highest chalk sea cliff in [more...]
This is based on stuff like what I like, there will be various bands and artists to try and cheer you up and kick-start your weekend. Hopefully for many of you, to bring back some [more...]
Whatever crimes the RPF had or hadn’t committed inside Rwanda, its interventions in DRC and meddling in neighbouring states (Uganda and Burundi) had exposed a casualness to human life, cavalier ruthlessness, and shocking levels of [more...]
The time of abundance is mostly upon us, potatoes, more beans than one can shake a stick at, strawberries, courgettes, beetroot, spinach, chard, radish, leaves of many and various kinds and even a couple of [more...]
Born in 1875 Henry the eldest son of the 4th Marquess of Anglesey Citation needed here because it was rumoured throughout his life the Marquess was not his real father and that his mother had [more...]
In 1969, my uncle, John Alldridge visited New Guinea to “observe the attempt to weld a primitive people to a modern society”. This is the third of his reports for the Vancouver Sun. – Jerry [more...]
As further proof that nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, in this week’s edition we diverge from my grandparents’ faded leather-bound family album from the 1940s and 50s and take a look at what [more...]
Rwanda’s “story” had the international community so thoroughly by the emotional and intellectual throat, it could not now, wrest free. Some elements of the stranglehold were self-serving. Rwanda’s most prize 21st-century export was not coffee [more...]
As time goes past on our elementary adventures, I hope to ensure that at least one element is included from each of the eighteen Groups of the Periodic Table (a.k.a. the Periodic Table of the [more...]
In 1969, my uncle, John Alldridge visited New Guinea to “observe the attempt to weld a primitive people to a modern society”. This is the second of his reports for the Vancouver Sun. – Jerry [more...]
Before the pencil Pens and ink have been in existence for a very long time, being used by the ancient Egyptians for writing and drawing on papyrus, a papery substance made by beating reeds flat. [more...]
Battle Abbey Battle Abbey, located in Battle, East Sussex, is a partially ruined Benedictine abbey built on the site of the historic Battle of Hastings. The abbey is dedicated to St Martin of Tours and [more...]
This is Genre 1, Motown, episode 3. For those of a certain age this will bring back some fond memories and get your foot tapping. If you are a lot younger, as this is such [more...]
If one were of a particularly cynical nature, one might think that a piece with this title might have been written to comment upon the near unbelievable social and political culture we find ourselves living [more...]
Having humiliated the Ugandan Army (UPDF), the RPF and the RCD in December crushed the remnants of the Congolese army and its Zimbabwean allies in Pweto, southeastern Congo. On 16th January 2001, Kabila was sitting [more...]
Why a Puffin you may (or may not) be asking yourselves, but there’s no great mystery or even significance behind the header picture of my latest ramblings being of our “Spirit” bird. I’ve made the [more...]
In 1969, my uncle, John Alldridge visited New Guinea to “observe the attempt to weld a primitive people to a modern society”. This is the first of his reports for the Vancouver Sun. – Jerry [more...]
Dover In this week’s dip into the family album we have moved around the Kent coast from Ramsgate and have arrived in Dover. The White Cliffs, the outline of Dover Castle and the seafront make [more...]
Welcome pop pickers to an ambitious series of articles covering 6 genres, each with 6 episodes. To give a bit of variation, the next episode of each genre will be published 6 weeks after the [more...]
Having spent a while researching the Desert War series, it is only fair to leave you my impressions based on the many thing that have passed before my eyes. It takes a while to weed [more...]
In March 1997, in his usual dubious and manipulative way, Kagame “assumed” the chairmanship of the RPF (the ruling party) from Colonel Alexis Kanyarengwe. After protesting army massacres of Hutus in his home province of [more...]
In this series, we’ve taken a wander through the marvels of the Periodic Table (a.k.a. the Periodic Table of the Elements) and become familiar with some fundamental chemistry principles. We have explored: Hydrogen, Carbon, Mercury, [more...]
In 1950 John E Horwell, the former Chief Constable of Scotland Yard, set out his view of the state of modern policing; a view which will resonate with many 73 years later. This article first [more...]
In Part One we followed the journey of Irishman Charles Freeman, on the SS Medic down the west coast of Africa, from Liverpool to Cape Town in 1927. The ship was continuing on to Australia, [more...]
Canterbury In our family album, my father and grandparents visited Kent and Sussex for a holiday in 1948. This was a time of great change and transformation in those counties as they, and the rest [more...]
Welcome pop pickers. This week is back to Rock ‘n’ Roll, the early days. This is the sort of music that makes you want to tap your feet, dance, and singalong. Thank you to Wiki, [more...]
A Refuge from Modern England Several things have triggered this article; conversations I have had with various Puffins face to face at meetings and get-togethers, something that Polar Opposite posted in one of the comments, [more...]
If “keep us safe” was the RPF’s public driving mantra, it was easier said than done. Having taken a generation for Uganda refugee camps to produce a rebel force capable of threatening Rwanda’s national security, [more...]
First things first, as the saying goes. Starting bottom left, the vine flourishes and has benefitted, in no small measure, from a good old fashioned “clip out”, more of which next time. Before we get [more...]
In May 1969 my uncle, John Alldridge, described the voyage of Allcock and Brown for the Montreal Star. This is the last of his reports. – Jerry F It was 4.28 GMT when the heavily [more...]
Cape Wrath Cape Wrath is a cape located in the Durness parish of the county of Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands. It is known for being the most north-westerly point in mainland Britain and boasts [more...]
Welcome pop pickers. This is based on stuff like what I like, there will be various bands and artists to try and cheer you up and kick-start your weekend. Hopefully for many of you, to [more...]
A few days ago, the Little Girl Next Door had a school friend come home when school finished at three o’clock. They happily played in the back garden and the visitor stayed for tea. A [more...]
While continued attempts to persuade Hutu officials to return, the RPF pressed for its own list of candidates for the posts of bourgmestres to be appointed. At grassroots level, the power-sharing principles of the Arusha [more...]
We’ve already explored the development of the Periodic Table (a.k.a. the Periodic Table of the Elements) and picked up a few bits of basic chemistry information. The elements we have met to date have been: [more...]
Previously, in “The Sore Seated Safari”, we followed one Charles Henry Freeman and some compatriots, on a 1929 road trip from the town of Iringa, in Tanganyika, to Nairobi in Kenya. But what were they [more...]
With the Axis occupying a smaller and smaller piece of real estate in Tunisia this was the month they would have to surrender, 291,000 of them. There was no way to supply them and no [more...]
In May 1969 my uncle, John Alldridge, described the voyage of Allcock and Brown for the Montreal Star. This is the fourth of his reports. – Jerry F Like most cities, St. John’s, Newfoundland, has [more...]
Loch Ailort As we accompany my grandparents (and their caravan) on their 1956 Scottish road tour, we reach Loch Ailort, a west coast sea loch and popular tourist destination. Or do we? The location of [more...]
Welcome pop pickers to an ambitious series of articles covering 6 genres, each with 6 episodes. To give a bit of variation, the next episode of each genre will be published 6 weeks after the [more...]
In Africa, generally speaking, museums usually are thin on the ground. Underfunded, poorly maintained (if at all), they often present a version of history barely refreshed since colonial times. Rwanda is an exception. Currently it [more...]
In May 1969 my uncle, John Alldridge, described the voyage of Allcock and Brown for the Montreal Star. This is the third of his reports. – Jerry F When John Alcock was released from his [more...]
In 1957, Scotland was undergoing significant social and economic change. The post-war years had seen a boom in heavy industry, particularly in shipbuilding and steel production, but by the late 1950s, this growth was beginning [more...]
Welcome pop pickers to episode 2 of Genre 2, Glam Rock. This week back to the origins of Glam Rock. Thank you to Wiki and Top of the Pops. Whilst I do not believe in [more...]
When I finished writing my recent article about the role the small Leicestershire village of Barkby played in shaping me into the person that I am today, I realised that there were many anecdotes that [more...]
From RANU to RPF The Tutsi diaspora were working to keep community identity alive. In Kampala, a refugee welfare foundation had initially been established but fell foul of Amin. It morphed into the more militant [more...]
Here we go once again, embarking on our explorations of the elements. Up to now, we’ve considered Hydrogen, Carbon, Mercury, Bromine, Oxygen, and Iron. We’ve also had a quick trot around a little basic chemistry, [more...]
I don’t think it is controversial to claim that the current crop of MPs are amongst the lowest standard the UK has ever known. Ranking around the same as the MSM for trustworthiness, likeability, in [more...]
In May 1969 my uncle, John Alldridge, described the voyage of Allcock and Brown for the Montreal Star. This is the first of his reports. – Jerry F MANCHESTER — She hangs now, like some [more...]
Essentially hill and lake people, and having traversed the French and Italian Rivieras during their 1958 Ford Prefect continental road trip, my grandparents headed inland in search of inclines and hairpin bends. Col de Tende [more...]
The article below was originally published in May 1902 before the coronation of King Edward VII the following June. It was written by Mrs. A. Murray Smith and originally published in the monthly Pall Mall [more...]
Although that of King Charles III divides opinion, coronations remain fascinating events that have captivated the world for centuries. They are the ultimate display of power and prestige, as rulers are crowned and anointed in [more...]
Its walls and towers stare down – rather snootily it could be said – from Maze Hill, over the lesser buildings clustering round its feet on the edge of Greenwich Common. Opposite, Canary Wharf’s ghostly-looking, [more...]
Luwero Triangle, a 2,800 square mile cheese slice of land NNW of Kampala. Within it are 33 memorials scattered across the Luwero Triangle. Some 4,000 lie buried in Kikyusa. They and all other memorial sites [more...]
By now, you should have (happily I hope) settled into our explorations of a day in the life of the elements. So far, we’ve investigated Hydrogen, Carbon, Mercury, Bromine, and Oxygen, taken a canter through [more...]
If there was one place in England I did not intend to visit it was Clovelly. I knew just what to expect: I have seen that quaint little High Street, climbing like Jacob’s ladder from [more...]
San Remo San Remo, also spelt Sanremo, is a town located in the Liguria region of northwestern Italy. It is a popular tourist destination on the Italian Riviera and is known for hosting cultural events [more...]
Obote depended on Idi Amin to enforce his policies, but knew he couldn’t trust his protégé. The suspicion was mutual. Hearing he was about to be arrested for the murder of an Obote ally, Amin [more...]
In September 1948, a few weeks after its launch, John Alldridge set out to answer this question – His findings make very interesting reading 75 years later – Jerry F On Monday, July 5, nearly [more...]
From the tip of Land’s End on a fine spring morning you may look down on a sea that can be as calm and clear as a mill pond. From that height the Atlantic is [more...]
Menton Menton is a charming coastal town located on the French Riviera, only six miles from Monaco and within sight of the Tête de Chien cliffs which overlook the over-developed principality we called upon last [more...]
The Banyarwanda, the Kinyarwanda-speaking community, constituted one of Central Africa’s biggest ethnic groups, its footprint stretching from eastern Zaire to western Tanzania and up to western Uganda. At its core sat the tiny, mountainous former [more...]
By now, you should be getting quite used to meandering through the mesmerising memoirs of the elements. So far, we’ve covered Hydrogen, Carbon, Mercury, and Bromine. In doing so, we’ve also covered a good chunk [more...]
Not who I think I am Oh, dear. Be careful what you wish for. Let sleeping dogs lie. Unexpected consequences. Every family holds its secrets – except yours and mine. All is not what it [more...]
Look at Tolpuddle now, with its neat thatched cottages, its tall chestnuts in splendid flower, all in all as pretty an English village as ever found its way on to a Christmas card, and you [more...]
Monte Carlo Casino After spending much of one’s life in Carlisle, it might be difficult to be sniffy about Monte Carlo but as time goes on, it does become easier. On this page from the [more...]
We left our travellers on the evening of September 25th, 1929, as they settled down for a night’s sleep in the village of Bereku, Tanganyika, about 37 miles north of Kondoa Irangi. Today it boasts [more...]
The Axis forces will surrender in May so April sees the Allies squeezing the Axis into a smaller and smaller area. On the 1st the US 1st and 9th Infantry Divisions attacked Italian positions at [more...]
The first of 12 articles, building a clearer picture of what happened and what was not reported. It has heavy relevance in this part of the world and is being watched like a hawk. Needless [more...]
There is one date in history that no Englishman can escape remembering — Battle of Hastings, 1066. So being quite close to the place we thought we would go and see how that famous battlefield [more...]
After spending much of one’s life in Carlisle, being unenthusiastic about Monaco might be a challenge. Or might it? First, a disambiguation. Monaco is the name of a principality of less than 500 acres which [more...]
Amongst a century of detritus at the BBC there lies some buried treasure. Between layers of fake news, preachy left-wing documentaries and un-funny comedy, the BBC’s iPlayer hides a gleaming gem of an old archaeology [more...]
In the cupboard to the left of my desk, sits a large cardboard box filled with old family photo albums. These arrived in my parent’s house in the early 1980s, after the death of my [more...]
Like the Tet offensive in Vietnam, the political fallout caused the usual sea change in the US bringing the Somalia adventure to an end. Paul Watson, though not a professional photographer, who won the Pulitzer [more...]
By now, you should be getting quite familiar with some of the fascinating titbits of information it’s possible to unearth (pun intended) about elements. In previous articles, we’ve explored the development of the Periodic Table [more...]
Kent used to be called “the Garden of England.” Perhaps it still is. The garden itself is still there — a mass of snowy blossom just now; but since I last saw it the great [more...]
Cannes Having pestered the French Air Force at Istres last time, this time we’re striking out from there along the Cote d’Azur in diréction Cannes. Above we see the fishing port side of the town [more...]
Independent journalists and non-UN aid workers had already done enough to discredit the approach taken under Operation Restore Hope and so were treated by the US-UN as “the enemy”. Throughout Somalia’s “peacekeeping war”, independent journalists [more...]
The post Day of the Rangers first appeared on Going Postal.
Along with every other part of the country we’ve had a bit of “Man Climate Change Made Warming Cool Global” weather over the last couple of weeks or so, (more of which later) which has [more...]
The post A View From The Greenhouse; Eid Mubarak, Suckers first appeared on Going Postal.
Starting around 1989 the Soviet empire started to crumble. The time period between the forming of NATO in the late 1940’s and the retreat of Russia from Eastern Europe and the eventual collapse of communism [more...]
The post Role Reversal first appeared on Going Postal.
If you want to see what a profound and lasting impression the war has left on the face of rural England you should make a point of travelling over that stretch of road that links [more...]
The post This Is My England – Part Five first appeared on Going Postal.
Le Train Bleu Last time we teased that we were arriving at a quayside in Ostend to connect with the Istanbul Express as if Graham Greene’s characters in Stamboul Train. My grandparents’ Ford Prefect was [more...]
The post A River Runs Through It first appeared on Going Postal.
Relief work had been halted overnight following the death of the Pakistanis. UN [read US] commanders tipped off aid agencies a “massive strike” would be carried out sometime in the next two days, imploring them [more...]
The post Keystone Cops And 12th July first appeared on Going Postal.
In previous articles, we’ve explored the development of the Periodic Table (a.k.a. the Periodic Table of the Elements), and examined the elements Hydrogen, and Carbon. In this, the fourth, I’m going to take a closer [more...]
The post Elementary, my dear Watson – Hg Mercury first appeared on Going Postal.
I was awakened that morning by the sudden furious ringing and clanging of bells — a sort of wild, insane music, as if some demented Dickensian sexton had been let loose in the belfry. To [more...]
The post This Is My England, 1950 – Part Four first appeared on Going Postal.
According to those better able to describe such things than myself, decades ago the crossing to Ostend was one of drenched decks, the smell of steam and oil and of stale Bass from the bar. [more...]
The post Ostend For Greeneland first appeared on Going Postal.
A small confession: my first introduction to this opening soliloquy was as a child on a Saturday afternoon from none other than Arnold Judas Rimmer in Red Dwarf. He and Lister are marooned and, to [more...]
The post Crom’s Deep Dive: Richard III, Act 1 Scene 1 first appeared on Going Postal.
G6E1 – Those different ones like what I like. Welcome pop pickers to an ambitious series of articles covering 6 genres, each with 6 episodes. To give a bit of variation, the next episode of [more...]
The post G6E1 – Those different ones like what I like first appeared on Going Postal.
I have had a particularly soft spot in my heart for Nottingham ever since an evening in June, 1940. There were about a thousand of us, dribs and drabs of a British Expeditionary Force, scooped [more...]
The post This Is My England, 1950 – Part Three first appeared on Going Postal.
Welcome pop pickers to an ambitious series of articles covering 6 genres, each with 6 episodes. To give a bit of variation, the next episode of each genre will be published 6 weeks after the [more...]
The post G5E1 – Origins of Rock ‘n’ Roll – The Beginning first appeared on Going Postal.
With the Axis on the run in Tunisia it was only a matter of time until they had to surrender. Their supply routes to Tunisia were under constant attack and the Axis could do little [more...]
The post The Desert War – March 1943 first appeared on Going Postal.
On 30 July 1937 a man entered a cage at a Skegness amusement park. In the cage were two lions, one male, one female; Freddie and Toto. According to their owner, both animals were “docile” [more...]
The post The Prostitute’s Padre first appeared on Going Postal.
In previous articles, we’ve looked at the element Hydrogen, and at the development of the Periodic Table (a.k.a. the Periodic Table of the Elements). This time, I intend to shine the spotlight on an element [more...]
The post Elementary, my dear Watson – C Carbon first appeared on Going Postal.
Each morning in early 1993, UN Pakistan contingent troops answered the muezzin call to prayer. The purported common Islamic bond between Somalis and Pakistanis was considered by both sides to contribute to a special rapport [more...]
The post New World Order Falls at First Hurdle first appeared on Going Postal.
From Haddon Hall to Tideswell is only about ten miles. But to get from one to the other you have to travel across some of the bleakest, wildest, most God-forsaken country in England. On these [more...]
The post This Is My England, 1950 – Part Two first appeared on Going Postal.
G4E1 – Origins of Northern Soul & Disco – The Beginning Welcome pop pickers to an ambitious series of articles covering 6 genres, each with 6 episodes. To give a bit of variation, the next [more...]
The post G4E1 – Origins of Northern Soul & Disco – The Beginning first appeared on Going Postal.
Somalia is a land of great beauty and infinite Promise… Tourists are assured and enjoyable Stay in Somalia, where they will find the people Friendly and the country attractive “Beautiful Somalia” Ministry of Information Booklet [more...]
The post God’s Work = Failed New World Order first appeared on Going Postal.
Since this journey must begin somewhere, let it begin here in Bakewell with the story of a tart. A Bakewell tart, which, of course — as they are quick to point out — isn’t a [more...]
The post This Is My England, 1950 – Part 1 first appeared on Going Postal.
We shall continue our trip towards the source of the Matter Vispa, heading south towards the mountain town of Zermatt. However, we shall no longer call it a road trip. The evidence suggests, given a [more...]
The post His Monument, The Matterhorn first appeared on Going Postal.
Welcome pop pickers to an ambitious series of articles covering 6 genres, each with 6 episodes. To give a bit of variation, the next episode of each genre will be published 6 weeks after the [more...]
The post G3E1 – Origins of The Singers – The Beginning first appeared on Going Postal.
This month sees the battle of the Kassarine Pass.This was where the Axis forces gave the Americans a run for their money and may have been the start of the “our Italians” handle given to [more...]
The post The Desert War – February 1943 first appeared on Going Postal.
Behold the Periodic Table (a.k.a. the Periodic Table of the Elements). I’m pretty sure that we are all pretty familiar with this, from happy days in the school classroom if not more recently. It’s an [more...]
The post Elementary, my dear Watson – the Periodic Table first appeared on Going Postal.
Q: Isn’t there a better way to control these gunmen? A: Somebody did suggest one – carpet bomb Somalia with ecstasy, because it curbs hunger and makes everyone love each other. It’s not a bad [more...]
The post Carpet Bomb Somalia With Ecstasy first appeared on Going Postal.
Transfer of our capacity to manufacture goods and mine energy and resources to developing countries served to endorse our virtual assets as we established and dominated new markets with economic colonialism. Ludwig von Mises noted [more...]
The post Economic Evolution: Darwin’s Idiot Speaks, Part Six first appeared on Going Postal.
Last in a series by my uncle John Alldridge. This article first appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph in February 1968 – Jerry F We had camped that last night on the Crow Indian reservation [more...]
The post The Wild West Trail, Part Twelve first appeared on Going Postal.
After completing our clockwise tour of the northern shoreline of Lake Geneva, we head inland at the eastern extremity of Villeneuve and drive along the Rhone Valley. Our first photo is labelled ‘The Diablerats, Berner [more...]
The post Following in the Steps of Sepp first appeared on Going Postal.
Welcome pop pickers to an ambitious series of articles covering 6 genres, each with 6 episodes. To give a bit of variation, the next episode of each genre will be published 6 weeks after the [more...]
The post G2E1 – Origins of Glam Rock – The Beginning first appeared on Going Postal.
Death has become too commonplace to matter. The two greatest products in Mogadishu are shooting and rumours: from morning to night, they manufacture rumours, from night to morning they manufacture shootings – Mohamoud Afrah. Mogadishu: [more...]
The post City of Insane Warlords and Technicals first appeared on Going Postal.
FDR had abolished private ownership of gold money but retained gold as the underlying asset for U.S. currency, exchangeable one for the other. Variations in the price of U.S. currency in ounces of gold served [more...]
The post Economic Evolution: Darwin’s Idiot Speaks, Part Five first appeared on Going Postal.
Eleventh in a series by my uncle John Alldridge. This article first appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph in January 1968 – Jerry F I found him sitting beside me at a snack bar on [more...]
The post The Wild West Trail, Part Eleven first appeared on Going Postal.
As we continue our clockwise trip around the northern shore of Lake Geneva, we take a slight detour behind the town of Montreux. The above photograph is captioned ‘Col de Jaman’ which is a high [more...]
The post From Byron to Buchli first appeared on Going Postal.
G1E1 – Origins of the Motown – The Beginning Welcome pop pickers to an ambitious series of articles covering 6 genres, each with 6 episodes. To give a bit of variation, the next episode of [more...]
The post G1E1 – Origins of the Motown – The Beginning first appeared on Going Postal.
People research their family trees for all sorts of reasons. Where did I come from? (perfectly respectable to ask one’s self!).What sort of people were my forebears? what jobs did they do? Are there any [more...]
The post So, Where Are You From? first appeared on Going Postal.
In the previous article, we looked at the development of the Periodic Table (a.k.a. the Periodic Table of the Elements). The time has come to have a more in-depth look at the story behind some [more...]
The post Elementary, my dear Watson – H Hydrogen first appeared on Going Postal.
Somalia’s recent history is also a tale of grave miscalculations made by foreigners in a very foreign land. Knowing nomads happily demonstrated their supremacy and disdain for outsiders, the so-called fruits of civilization were not [more...]
The post Somalia – Western Economic Colonialism first appeared on Going Postal.
One of Say’s Laws holds that “we produce to consume”. This is certainly the underlying theme of the Industrial Revolution with its accompanying exponential growth in production of technology, communication, and energy utilization. While private [more...]
The post Economic Evolution: Darwin’s Idiot Speaks, Part Four first appeared on Going Postal.
Eleventh in a series by my uncle John Alldridge. This article first appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph in February 1968 – Jerry F Nobody who caught the gold fever ever quite recovered from it. [more...]
The post The Wild West Trail, Part Ten first appeared on Going Postal.
As we continue our clockwise drive around Lake Geneva our first and brief port of call is Lausanne, the capital and largest city in the French-speaking Swiss canton of Vaud. Lying at an elevation between [more...]
The post Notables Indésirables En Route to Montreux first appeared on Going Postal.
My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Twenty – Morrisey/Smiths After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Twenty – The Smiths – Morrissey first appeared on Going Postal.
I think I’ve mentioned this before on these very pages. Perhaps it’s because I am of a certain age and demeanour. Is it the slightly haggard, worldly look or a hint of exotic places in [more...]
The post Who Do I Think I Am? first appeared on Going Postal.
As I’ve said before during this series of posts, following my recent trip to The Sub Continent, India is a land of often stark contrasts. Its population (official figure) is approaching 1.5 billion people, nobody [more...]
The post A Postcard From India; Gandhi, His Politics, The People first appeared on Going Postal.
Some more on the background context of how Kenya got to where it currently is. The presidential contest election was effectively a two-horse race between Deputy President William Ruto and veteran politician Raila Odinga. Neither [more...]
The post Kenya Election Context first appeared on Going Postal.
Banking came up with its own methods of inflating the supply of legal tender-fiat money, fractional reserve lending. A bank comes to know (a version of the dispersal of knowledge of the market) how much [more...]
The post Economic Evolution: Darwin’s Idiot Speaks, Part Three first appeared on Going Postal.
Ninth in a series by my uncle John Alldridge. This article first appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph in January 1968 – Jerry F Nine Quarter Circle Ranch, Gallatin Gate-Way, Montana. When Howard Kelsey, boss [more...]
The post The Wild West Trail, Part Nine first appeared on Going Postal.
Last time we strolled through Geneva in the 1980s looking at some of my own old photos. Puffins will be relieved to hear that this week we’re back in the 1950s and travelling in my [more...]
The post Marching Clockwise Around Lake Geneva first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Nineteen – The Sex Pistols first appeared on Going Postal.
In October 1955, the Manchester Evening News sent my uncle to interview Benny Hill – Jerry F In some respects Mr. Benny Hill is the most irritating young man I have ever tried to interview. [more...]
The post John Alldridge Meets Benny Hill first appeared on Going Postal.
Wayne stopped by last night to tell me his interwebs had been cut off for being in arrears, and he wanted to use mine to download some documents from his barrister regarding child custody. He’s [more...]
The post Letter from Stafford, Two first appeared on Going Postal.
January 1943 saw the Casablanca Conference take place where FDR, Churchill, Charles de Gaulle and Henri Giraud (de Gaulle’s #2) would discuss the future of the war though the French were not really involved in [more...]
The post The Desert War – January 1943 first appeared on Going Postal.
21 August 2022 Westerners, the outgoing president (Uhuru Kenyatta), and former opposition leader (Raila Odinga) wish to force a barmy government in which the pursuit of citizen wellbeing is halted in favour of pursuing undefined [more...]
The post Danger to Kenya’s Democracy first appeared on Going Postal.
Prior to written documents being exchanged as representations of mutually agreed perceived value, the concept of money arose amongst multiple trading groups. This may have taken place prior to the credit/debit system as a substitute [more...]
The post Economic Evolution: Darwin’s Idiot Speaks, Part Two first appeared on Going Postal.
Eighth in a series by my uncle John Alldridge. This article first appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph in January 1968 – Jerry F We reached Cody, Wyoming on a night of driving rain and [more...]
The post The Wild West Trail, Part Eight first appeared on Going Postal.
We shall remain in Geneva in the 1980s for a little longer before moving around Lake Geneva in a clockwise direction in the 1950s. Does that make any sense? Our first photo this time is [more...]
The post A Stroll Along Quai du Mont-Blanc first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Eighteen – Phil Collins first appeared on Going Postal.
Amongst a century of detritus at the BBC there lies some buried treasure. Between layers of fake news, preachy left-wing documentaries and un-funny comedy, the BBC’s iPlayer hides a gleaming gem of an old archaeology [more...]
The post Buried Treasure first appeared on Going Postal.
Having been born into and grown up within the never-ending promise of prosperity guaranteed by Keynes’s gospel that saved us all from the purgatory of the Depression, I like others only began to see a [more...]
The post Economic Evolution: Darwin’s Idiot Speaks, Part One first appeared on Going Postal.
Last time our 1955 Ford Prefect road trip found my grandmother photographed standing on the Jet d’Eau side of Lake Geneva. An interesting crown-topped cupola lay squatted in silhouette on the other side of the [more...]
The post Sisi – The Foulest Crime of The Century first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Seventeen – Hawkwind first appeared on Going Postal.
Seventh in a series by my uncle John Alldridge. This article first appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph in January 1968 – Jerry F We left Deadwood in the late afternoon and headed West again, [more...]
The post The Wild West Trail, Part Seven first appeared on Going Postal.
Part One of this postcard looked at the challenges I faced in making this once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cambridge. Boy, what a lot of fun I had but, despite all the angst, I made it. This [more...]
The post Postcard from Woke Central, Part Two first appeared on Going Postal.
In a previous edition gleaned from my family’s 1950s road trips album, from the top of the Eiffel Tower we noticed an interesting double-decker bridge carrying both a road and a railway across the River [more...]
The post The 19:13 From Gare de Lyon first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Sixteen – Jimi Hendrix first appeared on Going Postal.
Sixth in a series by my uncle John Alldridge. This article first appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph in January 1968 – Jerry F Some few minutes before four o’clock on the afternoon of August [more...]
The post The Wild West Trail, Part Six first appeared on Going Postal.
In September this year, I received an invitation to a symposium in Cambridge. This was to be held in December, in celebration of the decades of amazing scientific achievements that my old boss has initiated, [more...]
The post Postcard from Woke Central, Part One first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Fifteen – The Jam first appeared on Going Postal.
Berne is the capital of Switzerland and enjoys a modern-day population of about 130,000. The old part of the city is contained within a bend in the river Aare which, along this part of its [more...]
The post Wankdorf Excitment first appeared on Going Postal.
Fifth in a series by my uncle John Alldridge. This article first appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph in December 1967 – Jerry F Every Western cow town has its museum. Among the usual dusty [more...]
The post The Wild West Trail, Part Five first appeared on Going Postal.
At the end of a Goldfinger car chase through the Furka Pass, Bond and Tilly Masterson stand beside a white Ford Mustang whose tyres have just been shredded by the optional extendable tyre shredder of [more...]
The post Altdorf to Lucerne first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Fourteen – Leonard Cohen first appeared on Going Postal.
Fourth in a series by my uncle John Alldridge. This article first appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph in December 1967 – Jerry F We left the Oregon Trail at Scotts Bluff with 1,200 heartbreaking [more...]
The post The Wild West Trail, Part Four first appeared on Going Postal.
Following a long drive from Jaipur, through small towns and vast open countryside, complete with a break at one of the roadside “Hotels”, we arrived at Bhanwar Vilas Palace which is now, in part a [more...]
The post A Postcard From India; Road Trip Part 2- Karauli, Bharatpur, Agra, Delhi first appeared on Going Postal.
Things are finally looking up for the Allies at the last month of 1942. The Axis are on the run in North Africa, Operation Torch has been a success though not without some busy bits. [more...]
The post The Desert War – December 1942 first appeared on Going Postal.
The history of burning offerings before the summer solstice can be traced back to prehistoric times. It is part cleansing and part preparation for the coming harvest. At some time in recent history it became [more...]
The post Les Fogueres De Sant Joan De Alicante first appeared on Going Postal.
If, in the mid-1960s, you visited a provincial northern cinema to watch the latest James Bond and, during a car chase through the mountains, a middle-aged couple sat nearby were heard muttering to each other [more...]
The post Addressing the Furka Pass first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Thirteen – Yes first appeared on Going Postal.
The Japan-Korea World Cup in 2002 was the first time the competition had been co-hosted. It was the first time it had been held in Asia, and the first time a country that had never [more...]
The post Memories of the first World Cup held in Asia: Final rounds first appeared on Going Postal.
Third in a series by my uncle John Alldridge. This article first appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph in December 1967 – Jerry F From Alcove Springs, in Kansas, to Fort Kearney in Nebraska is [more...]
The post The Wild West Trail, Part Three first appeared on Going Postal.
Since the “winter” flight timetables have come into operation it has become more convenient for me to initially fly into Kaunas rather than into Vilnius for my business-related visits to Lithuania (something I have undertaken [more...]
The post The Lithuanian Gas Chamber first appeared on Going Postal.
Taking a look at the map, our redoubtable Ford Popular must have continued its 1954 road trip along the valley from St Moritz heading southwest towards the border whereupon it, and my father and grandfather, [more...]
The post Washerwomen by Lake Lugano first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Twelve – Genesis first appeared on Going Postal.
The Japan-Korea World Cup in 2002 was the first time the competition had been co-hosted. It was the first time it had been held in Asia, and the first time a country that had never [more...]
The post Memories of the first World Cup held in Asia: Early rounds first appeared on Going Postal.
Second in a series by my uncle John Alldridge. This article first appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph in December 1967 – Jerry F We slept that first night at Alcove Springs, a straggling thicket [more...]
The post The Wild West Trail, Part Two first appeared on Going Postal.
I don’t know this for a fact, but I’m pretty sure whatever time you might choose to leave the environs of Delhi, unless it’s in the dead of night, the traffic on the main roads [more...]
The post A Postcard From India; Road Trip Part 1; Delhi-Jaipur-Karauli first appeared on Going Postal.
Most will know about the Lancaster Bomber, that it was designed by Ray Chadwick to carry a huge bomb load a very long way and was probably the best bomber in WWII, certainly the most [more...]
The post The Lancaster Bomber first appeared on Going Postal.
As we head into Switzerland on my father and grandparents’ 1954 Continental road trip, Puffins will be horrified to hear that not only was that year a World Cup year but that the tournament was [more...]
The post Rendezvous with Bond at the Palace first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Eleven – Atomic Kitten first appeared on Going Postal.
First of a new series by my uncle John Alldridge. This article first appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph in November 1967 – Jerry F Just 139 years ago, on a powdery ledge of sandstone [more...]
The post The Wild West Trail, Part One first appeared on Going Postal.
The Football Association was formed on 26th October 1863, the Football Association of Wales on 2nd February 1876. One wonders what they got up to in the intervening years as it wasn’t until January 1879 [more...]
The post England Wales Wendyball Preview first appeared on Going Postal.
Here we see caped cyclists rolling downhill from the Brenner pass summit which marks the border between Austria and Italy. The sign to the left, in both English and German, reads ‘Good bye again in [more...]
The post A Motor Through The Alps first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Ten – The Clash first appeared on Going Postal.
Earlier this year, we revisited The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley, primarily because we wanted to see the Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard exhibits once again. Now living only a few miles away, a quiet [more...]
The post Mitchell’s Spitfire first appeared on Going Postal.
I thought long and hard(ish) on how I could start off a series of “Postcards” about our trip to India. The whole thing came about following an off the cuff remark whilst discussing, with my [more...]
The post A Postcard From India; Delhi first appeared on Going Postal.
What do we know about England and Iran? One is a despotic dictatorship where an out-of-touch elite despises the ordinary people. Citizens can be cancelled for what they’re suspected of thinking and jailed for what [more...]
The post Always Worth Saying’s World Cup Report first appeared on Going Postal.
Ed. This was sent to me in 2018 by Moscow Fred, sadly he was never able to finish it. RIP Fred. I was reminded of it by the documentary on The Herald of Free Enterprise [more...]
The post How I came to mistrust, then detest the Main Stream Media first appeared on Going Postal.
What do we know about Ecuador? If you’ve visited this mountainous country that straddles the Equator as it touches the Pacific coast of South America, you’ll recall they don’t have their own currency but use [more...]
The post Always Worth Saying’s World Cup Report first appeared on Going Postal.
Every once in a while, as one turns a page in an old family photo album, one runs the risk of falling across a cause célèbre or even a grisly murder. If, after braving the [more...]
The post Murder Most French first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Nine–U2 first appeared on Going Postal.
Fracking is once again in the news, once again you will hear of the dire consequences, the disasters and the earthquakes caused by drilling and fracturing the shale underground. It was suggested that the proposed [more...]
The post Tremors and logs first appeared on Going Postal.
Lans A sign to the right of the crucified Christ announces that we are arriving at the Tyrolean hamlet of Orfsende Von Lans. That’s certainly what I thought. Further investigation shows we’re leaving, and not [more...]
The post Small Towns in Austria first appeared on Going Postal.
My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Eight–The Stranglers After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Eight–The Stranglers first appeared on Going Postal.
Zurück in den Tag Am I allowed to say that back in the day I loved Austria? Yes, it was too expensive, yes it was full of unrepentant Nazis, and yes the whole place was [more...]
The post Postcard From Innsbruck first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Seven –AC/DC first appeared on Going Postal.
November would see the assault at El Alamein succeed and the Axis would now be on the back foot as they withdrew towards Tripoli and eventually Tunisia. On the 16th November the Stoneage convoy of [more...]
The post The Desert War – November 1942 first appeared on Going Postal.
Donaueschingen Strict privacy laws and the German people’s well-practiced challenges to any risk posed to that privacy means that Street View isn’t available in the Federal Republic. Identifying the locations of old photographs, in this [more...]
The post Postcard From West Germany first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Six – Led Zeppelin first appeared on Going Postal.
Over breakfast on the morning of Friday, August 15th 1952, readers of the letters page of the Ilfracombe Chronicle and North Devon News may have noticed the following correspondence from a Mr Cuthbert Burgoyne of [more...]
The post Deluge at Lynmouth first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Five – Bob Dylan first appeared on Going Postal.
I’ve never been myself, but I’m prepared to bet that Stalybridge is rather different today from when my uncle described it for the Manchester Evening News in February, 1947 – Jerry F A blizzard was [more...]
The post Stalybridge – Clubs, Pubs And Poets first appeared on Going Postal.
This month 44% of military cargo and fuel sent to Libya was sunk, this was better than the 33% sunk last month and Churchill later claimed that petrol was especially targeted and 66% of that [more...]
The post The Desert War – October 1942 first appeared on Going Postal.
As we reach the end of our 1952 Nostalgia Album adventure to Gibraltar and back, my father and his parents remain at the top of the Eiffel Tower gazing at the more distant of the [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Seine Bridges first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Four – Red Hot Chili Peppers first appeared on Going Postal.
On 27 October, 1944 my uncle John Alldridge reported from Aaachen for the Manchester Evening News. Six days previously, Aachen had become the first German city to be captured by the Western Allies. – Jerry [more...]
The post Inquest on Aachen first appeared on Going Postal.
International Festival of Glass, Stourbridge, August 2022 In Part One, I just about managed to shoehorn two days of the fantastic Festival. Before I carry on telling you about the rest, a quick gallop though [more...]
The post A Postcard from the IFG Part Two first appeared on Going Postal.
On June 5, 1947, the eve of the third anniversary of the 6th British Airborne Division’s landing in Normandy, my uncle John Alldridge of the Manchester Evening News reviewed the achievements of the establishment responsible [more...]
The post The Central Landing School, RAF Ringway, 1940 – 1942 first appeared on Going Postal.
International Festival of Glass, Stourbridge, August 2022 Earlier this year, around May-June if I remember correctly since it was right in the midst of the chaos of our moving home, it was with some excitement [more...]
The post A Postcard from the IFG Part One first appeared on Going Postal.
This week’s first picture is of the unmistakable Eiffel tower. In 1952, without a phone mast, the landmark was 984 ft high with a viewing area 906 ft from the ground. We shall assume my [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Paris first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part Two – The Darkness first appeared on Going Postal.
In August 1948 my uncle, John Alldridge, reported from Germany on the steps that the British Army was taking to combat high levels of illiteracy in the ranks – Jerry F The young soldier stood [more...]
The post The British Army Against Illiteracy, 1948 first appeared on Going Postal.
I came across this book that had been scanned into a PDF and loaded on a website. Not a book that I would normally read, but it piqued my interest. It proffers the theory that [more...]
The post The Adam and Eve Story first appeared on Going Postal.
A funny old month September 1942 in the desert. A few attempts to break through on the sand but only half hearted. The navy was still in the thick of it and the air war [more...]
The post The Desert War – September 1942 first appeared on Going Postal.
There is no definitive date for the birth of Xpoual de Colon. It is believed he was born between August 26th and October 31st in 1451 in Genoa, although there are also claims that he [more...]
The post The Amazing Life (And Death) of Xpoual (Es-po-al) De Colon first appeared on Going Postal.
In the old photo above we observe Orléans cathedral at the end of a wide cobbled street with a row of cars parked on the right hand side. Not its real name (Basilique Cathédrale Sainte-Croix [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Orléans first appeared on Going Postal.
After 60 proper legends of pop (OK, you may have thought that some were a bit iffy), it is now time for my Top 20 Leg Ends of pop. These are those groups or artists [more...]
The post My Leg Ends of Pop Music – Part One – The Prodigy first appeared on Going Postal.
Descending Tourmalet Having conquered the 7,000ft Col du Tourmalet for England, our pugnacious Ford 8 trundles down the other side nonchalantly taking for granted the now over-familiar spectacle of Pyerean mountain passes. The cycling data [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Nature’s Colosseum first appeared on Going Postal.
I suspect many of you will know my top three legends of pop music. We are on the countdown now to my most favourite music artists, making them my 3rd most favourite legends of pop [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Fifty-Eight – Smokie first appeared on Going Postal.
In March 1944 my uncle John Alldridge visited Naples a few months after it had been liberated and produced this report for the Manchester Evening News. – Jerry F *** War brought disease and desolation [more...]
The post Naples – Front Line Problem City first appeared on Going Postal.
You have all seen old Hollywood movies showing Napoleonic cavalry officers celebrating by cutting the tops off of champagne bottles. The name for this is sabrage. As with most things in movies there is some [more...]
The post Sabrage, or how to show off at parties first appeared on Going Postal.
Uncle Fred’s Early Life ‘Uncle Fred’, as we all called him, was, in reality, my maternal grandfather’s uncle, and my great great uncle. He was the only other member of my grandfather’s family I ever [more...]
The post Uncle Fred, Edwardian Metropolitan Policeman first appeared on Going Postal.
August 80 years ago and although the situation in the desert starts off mostly quiet all hell is breaking out at sea. The Axis are desperate to resupply Rommel and the Allies are equally desperate [more...]
The post The Desert War – August 1942 first appeared on Going Postal.
The case in favor of mandatory vaccines rests upon faulty logic and violates ethical principles. A vaccinated person protects himself to the extent of the vaccine’s capability, which may be close to one hundred percent, [more...]
The post Mandatory Vaccines vs. Logic and Kantian Ethics first appeared on Going Postal.
Col d’Aspin Last time on Nostalgia Album the heroic Ford 8, with a hiccup or two, commenced an odd zig-zag route across the Pyrenees as part of my father and grandparent’s 1952 return journey from [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Conquering The Long Mountain first appeared on Going Postal.
I do like good old rock ‘n’ roll. Happy music, singalong, dance, be merry. Darts seemed to be on ToTP just about every week, so many happy memories. One of those bands that you just [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Fifty-Seven – Darts first appeared on Going Postal.
The train from Cartagena is eleven minutes late arriving into Alicante and almost twenty minutes behind schedule by the time it leaves for Zaragoza. Not that anyone minds, it is the way of the things [more...]
The post Towers And Lovers first appeared on Going Postal.
In August 1945 my uncle, John Alldridge, wrote this article commemorating the sixth anniversary of the end of World War II for the Manchester Evening News. He ended with the implication that the memory was [more...]
The post All That Was Ended, 15th August 1945 first appeared on Going Postal.
No, it’s not about trains, in fact there are no railways on Jersey, the horror! Being a pureblood, many holiday destinations (USA, Spain, Cruises) are out of the question at the moment. Not that big [more...]
The post Jersey – a Postcard first appeared on Going Postal.
It’s that time again; when we get so far into the season it’s hard to think of “interesting” things to write about where vegetables are concerned, that I haven’t already mentioned at least half a [more...]
The post A View From The Greenhouse; Murder Most Foul first appeared on Going Postal.
As we continue the Nostalgia Album 1952 return trip to England, after leaving north eastern Spain and Catalonia, it is time to traverse the Pyrenees. The next sequence of photos helps to recreate the route. [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Pyrenean Crossing first appeared on Going Postal.
Back on to more main-stream pop music and the tunes that may well bring back memories with the wonderful voice that is Annie Lennox We are on the countdown now to my most favourite music [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Fifty-Six – Eurythmics first appeared on Going Postal.
In August 1951, as preparations for the 1953 Everest Expedition were underway, my uncle John Alldridge wrote about the previous expeditions for the Manchester Evening News – Jerry F “I guess my real reason for [more...]
The post Men Against Everest first appeared on Going Postal.
One of the arrogances of “Western” nations is that our way of life and our liberties are protected by periodic elections as required by constitutions, written (America) or not (Great Britain), containing bills of rights, [more...]
The post Sound Money Can Prevent What Representative Democracy Does Not first appeared on Going Postal.
‘When the Rudyards cease their Kipling, and the Haggards ride no more…’ was a favoured line in the era of post Imperial breast-beating, when this voluminous and best-selling writer, both in verse and prose was [more...]
The post In Defence of Kipling first appeared on Going Postal.
Barcelona At the end of the last episode of Nostalgia Album I referenced a very important mission. Despite all this talk of the 1950s, a family obligation could be carried out in modern-day Spain. Did [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Family Pilgrimage first appeared on Going Postal.
It is possible that some of you will know some of the songs, but not the singer. From the first time I heard “This is your life”, I was hooked. A great singer. Not released [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Fifty-Five – Amy Macdonald first appeared on Going Postal.
Valencia After last time’s run in the general direction of home, from Gibraltar to Almeria, we pick up the pace further along the Spanish Mediterranean coast at Valencia. With no photos of the intervening Costa [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Almeria to Barcelona first appeared on Going Postal.
There are some tunes, that even on hearing for the first time, you will know who they are. ZZ Top fall into that category. I have enjoyed their stuff pretty much all my life. We [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Fifty-Four – ZZ Top first appeared on Going Postal.
The month of July 80 years ago sees what became known as the 1st Battle of El Alamein, the 2nd would become the more famous one. In the first one the German advance was halted [more...]
The post The Desert War – July 1942 first appeared on Going Postal.
This tale begins, as so many tales do, on a dismal winter’s day. This particular day, a miserably chilly and grey February one, was a decidedly rubbish day. Not only had Mr S and I [more...]
The post Set in Stone first appeared on Going Postal.
Malaga to Motril and Beyond Having made an heroic 1952 journey from Carlisle to Gibraltar in a Ford 8 in order to visit Aunt Lil, Uncle Rob and cousin Anne, my father and grandparents set [more...]
The post Nostalia Album, Heading Home first appeared on Going Postal.
(Warning – contains filthy foul language, not suitable for playing at work, or where there are children or snowflakes around) If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Fifty-Three – Kevin Bloody Wilson first appeared on Going Postal.
We are often now asked to believe that European countries have no culture, or even any connection to their own pasts – that they are all lands of immigrants, blank sheets on which anything can [more...]
The post Long memories at Clashanimud first appeared on Going Postal.
I’ve been enduring enforced “bachelorhood” this week, as Mrs. C, unwisely a it turns out, has accompanied daughter number two on short visit to Canada, where she’s a bridesmaid for a friend she met whilst [more...]
The post A View From The Greenhouse; An Veritable Wall Of Stone, Innit? first appeared on Going Postal.
November 1963 Last week I invited Puffins to guess, in unread comments below the unread article, what course my father’s cousin Anne may have plotted when, aged only 26, she lost both of her parents [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Joining The Team first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Fifty-Two – Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young first appeared on Going Postal.
Just as an 18th century Président may stalk provincial France looking for innocents to corrupt, so bots chew their way through blogs looking for relevant wares to advertise. We must proceed with caution. On these [more...]
The post Review: 120 Days of Sodom by The Marquis De Sade first appeared on Going Postal.
The World War II project to build an atomic bomb is seen by many as a template for government action to solve what appear to be national economic problems beyond the scope of private enterprise. [more...]
The post The Fallacy of Calls for "A Manhattan Project" to Solve National Economic Challenges first appeared on Going Postal.
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with their government, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the [more...]
The post A Declaration of Independence in Thought and Expression and Action first appeared on Going Postal.
Fair Winds And a Following Sea This time on Nostalgia Album we are enjoying a new posting to a place where the White Ensign no longer flies. If in last week’s unread comments below the [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, A New Posting first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Fifty-One – The Rat Pack first appeared on Going Postal.
The recent Jubilee bank holiday weekend provided an opportunity to pause for thought and consider the service rendered by the world’s oldest and longest-serving monarch and head of state. No, not her. She gets enough [more...]
The post Celebrating The World’s Longest Serving Monarch first appeared on Going Postal.
Las Dos Infantas Elegantes Last time on Nostalia Album we left my father’s cousin, Anne, beaming on the quarry spoil of a Gibraltar beach. She was 15 and thriving in the crown colony, benefitting from [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Seville first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Fifty – The Moody Blues first appeared on Going Postal.
As every schoolboy knows, off the southern coast of the province of Cadiz the 3rd August 1704 ended briskly as Sir George Rooke’s fleet bombarded the Spanish isthmus of Gibraltar. The following morning, 1,900 English [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Journey’s End first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Forty-Eight–Showaddywaddy first appeared on Going Postal.
80 years ago in June things started to look bleak in the desert, the Axis was on the advance and we were retreating. At sea the Royal Navy was just as busy and the convoys [more...]
The post The Desert War – June 1942 first appeared on Going Postal.
Whilst listening to some 70’s era music – the time when music demanded competence – I came across a track by Traffic. I listened and remembered hearing it many years ago and that it was [more...]
The post The tale of John Barleycorn first appeared on Going Postal.
In this extract from his book* my uncle describes his time as a war correspondent with the Army’s official newspaper Union Jack in the latter stages of World War II. Jerry F. In World War [more...]
The post The Front Line Reporter first appeared on Going Postal.
David Lean’s The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) is not just a great film, it is a nearly perfect one. Even better, it was recognised as such from the start by virtually everyone. [more...]
The post Film Review: Bridge Over The River Kwai first appeared on Going Postal.
I recently visited two old friends. We were united by the deaths within a week of mutual life-long friends a few weeks ago. I realised it was important that we keep in touch. I had [more...]
The post “I’m not interested in Black History Month” first appeared on Going Postal.
Parador Torremolinos As we near journey’s end (can Puffins tell where we’re going to yet and why?), the final photo from the previous edition of Nostalgia Album is reproduced below. Depicted, is an unprepossessing single-story [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Nineteen first appeared on Going Postal.
On Christmas Morning 2021 I was taken by ambulance to hospital suffering from a clot on the lung brought on by Covid (Covid Pneumonitis). It was to be the beginning of ten days there, most [more...]
The post Lake District Memories first appeared on Going Postal.
A fellow poster suggested that I should write a piece about the art of…er…writing since it has become, rather later in life than I would have liked, my profession. Flattering as this suggestion is – [more...]
The post The Thin Red Line first appeared on Going Postal.
Reaching The Coast Standing beside the Mediterranean after a monster journey from Carlisle at the other end of the European continent, we spy a railway line. The year is 1952, the location is near Málaga [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Eighteen first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Forty-Seven – Madness first appeared on Going Postal.
My paternal grandfather, Herbert, was born in Morley in 1875 to a family of coal miners and woollen weavers. The sixth of twelve children, he was a master boot and shoe maker and repairer. As [more...]
The post Herbert’s War: My Grandfather, Herbert first appeared on Going Postal.
Your author has enjoyed the extracts posted recently by GP from his uncle’s work, reflecting on older fashioned journalism. The extracts titled ‘The Lady Reporter’ and ‘The War Correspondent’ suggested this response. Imagine, if you [more...]
The post The Lady War Correspondent first appeared on Going Postal.
In memory of those who have crossed the bar Fearless of storm or foe, Guarding the traffic of the east and west, Giving with hearts heroic of their best, The brave mine-sweepers go. Horace Rumsam [more...]
The post A Family At War, Part Four first appeared on Going Postal.
Plaza de Cibeles, Madrid As long-suffering Puffins were finishing off last week’s episode of Nostalgia Album ( Aranda de Duero to Madrid) which terminated at the Plaza de Cibeles, thousands of Madridistas were gathering at [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Seventeen first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Forty-Six – Rod Stewart first appeared on Going Postal.
The May of 80 years ago finally saw some desert action in Libya but not until later in the month, all the navies were busy attacking ships and the air forces were attacking everything. Convoys [more...]
The post The Desert War – May 1942 first appeared on Going Postal.
Another chapter from “Special Assignment” by my uncle John Alldridge (published in 1960 and now long out of print) In almost every great news story of recent times Luck has been the deciding factor. You [more...]
The post Press Photographer, Part Two first appeared on Going Postal.
In memory of those who have crossed the bar Fearless of storm or foe, Guarding the traffic of the east and west, Giving with hearts heroic of their best, The brave mine-sweepers go. Horace Rumsam [more...]
The post A Family At War, Part Three first appeared on Going Postal.
In memory of those who have crossed the bar Fearless of storm or foe, Guarding the traffic of the east and west, Giving with hearts heroic of their best, The brave mine-sweepers go. Horace Rumsam [more...]
The post A Family At War, Part Two first appeared on Going Postal.
In memory of those who have crossed the bar Fearless of storm or foe, Guarding the traffic of the east and west, Giving with hearts heroic of their best, The brave mine-sweepers go. Horace Rumsam [more...]
The post A Family At War, Part One first appeared on Going Postal.
Last time on Nostalgia Album, my father and his parents were heading south in their Ford 8 in the general direction of Madrid. The year is 1952 and Franco’s rural Spain must have appeared un-developed [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Sixteen first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music–Part Forty-Five – Queen first appeared on Going Postal.
Another chapter from “Special Assignment” by my uncle John Alldridge (published in 1960 and now long out of print) Halfway over Putney Bridge the No 14 bus jolted to a halt. Behind it the rush-hour [more...]
The post Press Photographer, Part One first appeared on Going Postal.
From Irun on the Spanish/French border, my father and grandparents made their way south and east to San Sebastian in their heroic Ford 8. It is 1952. Famous for its magnificent double bay and beeches, [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Fifteen first appeared on Going Postal.
Another chapter from “Special Assignment” by my uncle John Alldridge (published in 1960 and now long out of print) There comes a moment in every good reporter’s life when he has to take a chance. [more...]
The post Air Drop to Suez first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Forty-Four – Carole King first appeared on Going Postal.
In 1997 Tony Bliar opened the floodgates to uncontrolled migration, then deliberately shut down debate and discussion, as anyone who mentioned anything about it was called a racist. The conclusion I reached was that by [more...]
The post The future of UK Politics and the Rise of Islam first appeared on Going Postal.
It’s that time of year again…… The UK entry is Sam Ryder – SPACE MAN – United Kingdom 🇬🇧 – Official Music Video – Eurovision 2022 and is the featured track. The music is generally [more...]
The post The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 first appeared on Going Postal.
Featured image: “abba-th” by opethpainter is licensed under CC BY 2.0 To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/?ref=openverse © Phil the ex test manager 2022
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Forty-Three – ABBA first appeared on Going Postal.
Follow… Follow… Leave your England at dead midnight still Guarded by grandsires, babes and old women, Either past or nor arrived at pith and puissance. For who is he, whose chin is but enrich’d With [more...]
The post Operation Chariot – The Greatest Raid of All first appeared on Going Postal.
Another chapter from “Special Assignment” by my uncle John Alldridge (published in 1960 and now long out of print) During the course of World War II the Press War Correspondent found himself in competition with [more...]
The post The War Correspondent, Part Two first appeared on Going Postal.
Newport in South Wales sits astride the mouth of the River Usk and so its history has long been connected to maritime commerce, with wharfs recorded lining the banks of the river since the 1500s. [more...]
The post Newport Dock Disaster first appeared on Going Postal.
Introduction From January 1943, with the commencement of American daylight bombing of German targets complementing the existing night time raids by the British Air Force, Luftwaffe superiority in the skies over Germany and its occupied [more...]
The post Erich Bachem – an engineer years ahead of his time (ii) first appeared on Going Postal.
Last time, we followed my father and grandparents in their Ford 8 across the channel and down to the southwest of France via Louviers and Tours, all the way to glamorous Biarritz in the extreme [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Fourteen first appeared on Going Postal.
My Legends of Pop Music – Part Forty-Two – Thin Lizzy If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music–Part Forty Two–Thin Lizzy first appeared on Going Postal.
Another chapter from “Special Assignment” by my uncle John Alldridge (published in 1960 and now long out of print) When the first great war correspondent, William Howard Russell, went out to the Crimea for the [more...]
The post The War Correspondent, Part One first appeared on Going Postal.
Previously on these pages, Puffins have learned that everything was better in the old days. Malta was better as a Crown colony, railway stations were better with splt-flap Solari rattle boards rather than giant RGB [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Thirteen first appeared on Going Postal.
My Legends of Pop Music – Part Forty-One – Chuck Berry If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Forty-One – Chuck Berry first appeared on Going Postal.
Another chapter from “Special Assignment” by my uncle John Alldridge (published in 1960 and now long out of print) One august day in 1947 a young girl with long legs and a mop of unruly [more...]
The post The Woman Reporter, Part Two first appeared on Going Postal.
If one, parent’s night, your daughter’s Italian teacher tells you Latina is the ugliest city in Italy and adds in a whisper, “And then there’s Mousillini”, don’t agree with her until you’ve visited. Situated on [more...]
The post Postcard From Latina first appeared on Going Postal.
Introduction In common with many boys who like me were fortunate enough to grow up in the 1950s and 1960s, I spent much of my spare time building and flying Keil Kraft balsawood & tissue [more...]
The post Erich Bachem – an engineer years ahead of his time (i) first appeared on Going Postal.
As we discovered last time on Nostalgia Album, Malta is short of trees. Although my father’s cousin, Anne, and her parents Bob and Lil along with some Navy friends, did find some rare shade when [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Twelve first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Forty – Dire Straits first appeared on Going Postal.
The truck now leaving a back lane behind your local railway station may well be removing the mangled remains of a giant departure board. Why so? Because they’re being replaced, and by creatures not even [more...]
The post The Board Now Departing first appeared on Going Postal.
Another chapter from “Special Assignment” by my uncle John Alldridge (published in 1960 and now long out of print) No Half-Way For Ladies When I got my first job on a newspaper twenty-five years ago [more...]
The post The Woman Reporter, Part One first appeared on Going Postal.
Over the last few weeks I’ve had occasion to visit Glasgow on two occasions, one for an overnight stay and the second time primarily to visit Kelvingrove Museum and Gallery. The happy circumstance of my [more...]
The post A Postcard Frae Glesgae first appeared on Going Postal.
I have a number of very simple rules that I follow in life. The first is that wherever possible, I do everything in my power to live at peace with all men. This quite naturally, [more...]
The post Ice cream first appeared on Going Postal.
After last week’s Nostalgia Album sadness at hearing great aunt Ernestine lost her husband in the First War, her son in the Second War and spent much of her life in the Lancaster County Mental [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Eight first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Thirty-Seven – Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons first appeared on Going Postal.
Another chapter from “Special Assignment” by my uncle John Alldridge (published in 1960 and now long out of print) The special correspondent is a modest chap. He’ll tell you that he’s only a reporter watching [more...]
The post South Pole or Bust first appeared on Going Postal.
Life carries on much as normal, given the increasingly bizarre times we live in. The weather, thankfully, has picked up and jobs that have been on hold for a couple of weeks have risen to [more...]
The post A View From The Greenhouse; This Sporting Life first appeared on Going Postal.
Another chapter from “Special Assignment” by my uncle John Alldridge (published in 1960 and now long out of print) A good reporter must be impersonal. He must write the story as he finds it, without [more...]
The post Disaster at Munich first appeared on Going Postal.
Last time on Nostalgia Album we became concerned about Ernestine, my great-aunt by marriage, who at first glance had moved on, relocating to Lancaster, after her husband had been killed in the First War (as [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Seven first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Thirty-Six – Otis Redding first appeared on Going Postal.
This is the brief story of my grandad and his part in the war. Here is a picture of George with who we think is his grandmother in the early 1900s. George Gilfoyle was born [more...]
The post What did you do in the war grandad? first appeared on Going Postal.
When in the vicinity one feels obliged. After all, I am a Carlisle lad. During my previous life more interesting I found myself nearby and could adjust my schedule. If I was shot by an [more...]
The post Postcard From Carlisle first appeared on Going Postal.
Last time, we discovered my father’s cousin John Jr gave his life for his country at Bone in Algeria in 1943. In the First War his father, John Sr, died of sickness after being discharged [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Six first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Thirty-Five – Creedence Clearwater Revival first appeared on Going Postal.
For many sailing and in particular cruising are enjoyable pastimes, leisurely time spent in remote places, the nature, tranquility, new things to see and do almost every day. For others it’s a different story. and [more...]
The post The Unsinkable Stoker first appeared on Going Postal.
Within weeks of the start of the Second World War, a residence survey was taken across the country with the information it provided used to issue identity cards and distribute ration books. On it, we [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Five first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Thirty-Four – Manfred Mann first appeared on Going Postal.
By the early 1990s, computing in the Ministry of Defence was moving from huge, multi-million pound machines housed in air-conditioned rooms out into the offices on minicomputers and personal computers running Windows. It’s hard to [more...]
The post Postcard from Cyprus, 1996 first appeared on Going Postal.
January had finished with the Allies on the back foot in Libya, the Axis was advancing. It was all going pear shaped again. Although Tobruk had been relieved, the Axis armour hadn’t been destroyed, merely [more...]
The post The Desert War – February 1942 first appeared on Going Postal.
With there being only 11 years between them both my grandfather, Elihu, and his nephew, John Jr, joined up for the Second War. Last time we looked at my grandfather’s service in the RAOC and [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part Four first appeared on Going Postal.
Introduction In 1967, as part of my Public Health Inspectors’ Education Board course, I remember attending a lecture given by Dr Moore, the then Medical Officer of Health for the City and County of Kingston-upon-Hull, [more...]
The post A Court for King Cholera first appeared on Going Postal.
If you thought strawberry tales was boring, then I guess you’d better hold my coat (as the saying goes). Following several days of not being able to even enter the greenhouse, apart from a cursory [more...]
The post A View From The Greenhouse (A Savile Jibe, Really?) first appeared on Going Postal.
Old, unhappy far-off things, and battles long ago… How do we know about King Arthur? Please note that this is not a rehash of the old “Did King Arthur exist?” historical chestnut. Whether or not [more...]
The post King Arthur And The Battle Of Hastings first appeared on Going Postal.
No mystery here, this is Elihu, your modest reviewer of photographs grandfather. His father was also called Elihu and his grandfather was the John who Puffins with instant recall will remember lost half of the [more...]
The post Nostalgia Album, Part One first appeared on Going Postal.
My Legends of Pop Music – Part Thirty – Status Quo If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Thirty – Status Quo first appeared on Going Postal.
Introduction In part one we looked at how a gyroscope seems to defy gravity. This is accomplished by angular momentum. We’ll come back to that later 🙂 In part two we looked at how a [more...]
The post Three Gyroscopes – Part 3 first appeared on Going Postal.
Introduction My main interest in firearms has always been their technology and development, particularly during the 19th century which saw an incredible advance from flintlock, smoothbore muskets to semi and even fully automatic weapons. This [more...]
The post 1850s British and American Rifle-Musket Cartridges Compared first appeared on Going Postal.
A promise was made to Puffins regarding a dispatch from Kazakhstan to report upon the fighting between Kazakh forces, Russian paratroopers and ‘fuel protestors’. Located at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, a correspondent was only 12 miles [more...]
The post Postcard From Osh first appeared on Going Postal.
My own (reprinted) 1887 Bradshaw’s Guide shows an eclectic array of east coast shipping services connecting ourselves with continental Europe before the days of the noisy and inconvenient aeroplane. Goole to Dunkirk for 15 shillings [more...]
The post Mystery Album, Part Twenty first appeared on Going Postal.
If get this right, there will be many cover versions by future bands. I shall try and link live versions if they exist from the tellybox or a film, the sound quality may not be [more...]
The post My Legends of Pop Music – Part Twenty-Nine – Diana Ross & The Supremes first appeared on Going Postal.