
20th Century


Return To The Jernbanemysterium, Part Two
Did we ever get to Lille? Those who know, know. Yes, we did, at about episode 70 of this humble racenteur’s hitty-missy Postcard of the same name that was once a staple of Saturday evening [more…]

The History of Pop Music – 1974
Featured song: Mud – Tiger Feet 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. One [more…]

Desert Mystery: “Letters from a Feldgrau”, Part Three
In Part 2, I recounted how Hans Coutandin, in his letters to his girlfriend Eva Möller, wrote that he had been to Verdun in France for training, before travelling to Insterburg in East Prussia and [more…]

Return To The Jernbanemysterium
A phrase lingers in the mind. In passing, Mr. DH — my colleague, a fellow Puffin to us all, and master of that mysterious gift known as the turn of phrase — once summed up [more…]

Lessons from Churchill
Many of you may well be familiar with this outstanding biography of Winston Spencer Churchill first published in 2018. Over 982 pages, and splendidly subtitled “Walking with Destiny”, the eminent historian Andrew Roberts manages to [more…]

Desert Mystery: “Letters from a Feldgrau” Part Two
In Part 1, I recounted what Hans Coutandin had written to his girlfriend Eva Möller in his letters of early 1941 as he transitioned from being an “Arbeitsmann” in the “RAD-Abteilung 3/250” to be in [more…]

The assassination of Robert Kennedy
One of the enduring mysteries is the assassination of Robert Kennedy. As we have just seen his son is now installed as the Health Czar in the Trump administration. With all the hate coming from [more…]

Interesting Lives, Part Two
When Aga Khan III died, it was a difficult act to follow, especially since the title skipped a generation and found itself resting upon the shoulders of 19-year-old Prince Karim Al Husseini, who we know [more…]