20th Century
Desert Journey, Part One
In 1961 my uncle, John Alldridge spent some time on the set of Lawrence of Arabia and reported his experiences for the Birmingham Mail – Jerry F Akaba, Jordan I am writing this on the [more…]
History
14th Century
Postcard from Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle is located in the town of Berkeley in Gloucestershire and just a few miles from Reggie Towers. It’s a place I’ve visited a number of times and most recently when my brother stayed [more…]
Arts
The Return of the Native
Sorry to disappoint the diehard Thomas Hardy fans amongst you, but this has nothing at all to do with Clym Yeobright, Egdon Heath and the heathlands of Wessex, nor the love tangles and tragedies he [more…]
20th Century
Report From Israel, 1957 – Part Six
In 1957 my uncle, John Alldridge visited Israel for the Birmingham Mail. This is the last of his reports. – Jerry F When an Israeli defines a civilian as a soldier on leave for eleven [more…]
Arts
Postcard from Saint Agnes
I suppose the best way to start this article is to say it has almost nothing to do with St Agnes, the patron saint of girls, although rather weirdly I am unintentionally writing it on [more…]
Ethics
Are all civilisations doomed to fail?
Throughout history we have seen great civilisations rise, decline and fall. History has this annoying habit of repeating itself, none more so than in the case of human endeavour. As someone famous once said [more…]
Arts
No More Heroes Any More?
The recent death of JPR spurred me on to complete an article I started a few months ago on the subject of childhood heroes. I know for many JPR was a proper hero in the [more…]
Authoritarianism
Kenya: Redefining Clientele Chic
On the 60th anniversary of Kenya’s independence, Gathanga Ndung’u writes that the country has spent decades as the loyal servant of imperialism. The country may have express highways, a busy international airport, a modern railway, [more…]
20th Century
Report From Israel, 1957 – Part Five
In 1957 my uncle, John Alldridge visited Israel for the Birmingham Mail. This is the fifth of his reports. – Jerry F Eilat, Gulf of Akaba You can’t go home (they said) until you’ve bathed [more…]