20th Century
’59 Trail, Part Four
Part 4 of my uncle, John Alldridge’s 1959 report from Canada’s Far North for the Birmingham Mail – Jerry F Churchill, on Hudson’s Bay Life in Churchill — as in all frontier townships — gravitates [more…]
20th Century
20th Century
Scout Camp at …?
Holland, 1949 We shall interrupt my grandparents’ 1947 West Country road trip (to which I shall return) to dip into my father’s 1949 Scout trip to Holland. En route the troop passed a stricken vessel [more…]
20th Century
A Postcard from Petrolhead Paradise
A Postcard from Petrolhead Paradise Well, Stone the crows! A sunny Saturday in September saw a bit of a surprise. Although we’d noticed the colourful banner advertising the event often enough as we wandered hither [more…]
20th Century
The ’59 Trail, Part Three
Part 3 of my uncle, John Alldridge’s 1959 report from Canada’s Far North for the Birmingham Mail – Jerry F Churchill, on Hudson’s Bay Until you have spent a day and a night in Churchill, [more…]
20th Century
Buried Treasure: An Acropolis on The Frontier
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…]
20th Century
Cabot Cove, Midsomer, Cockington
Cockington Cockington is a picturesque village located near Torquay, in the Torbay district of Devon. The village is renowned for its old cottages and serene landscapes. Cockington Court Country Park, a prominent attraction in the [more…]
20th Century
The ’59 Trail, Part Two
Part 2 of my uncle, John Alldridge’s 1959 report from Canada’s Far North for the Birmingham Mail – Jerry F Winnipeg, Monday I flew into Winnipeg in a blizzard. Dry, eye-stinging snow was spinning about [more…]
20th Century
1947 West Country Holiday, Part Two
Torquay and the English Riviera Torquay is a charming seaside town in Devon and is a part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It is located 18 miles south of the county town of [more…]
20th Century
The ’59 Trail, Part One
In May 1959 The Birmingham Mail introduced my uncle’s latest article as follows: Where will you find the last pioneers in this age when frontiers are shrinking every day? In Canada’s Far North – the [more…]