20th Century
Meeting The Queen
I have a little anecdote on meeting The Queen. My late father was born in Lewisham, London and was brought up by working class parents in a council estate. After he got demobbed from the [more…]
History
20th Century
Nostalgia Album, Admired From Nevers to Carlisle
Admired from Nevers to Carlisle As my grandfather’s Ford 8 made its intrepid conquest of the 7,000ft high Pyrenean pass of Col de Tourmalet during the return trip from Gibraltar to Carlisle, we fell upon [more…]
20th Century
GP Crossword Tribute
1 Across: Her Majesty The Queen, 21st April 1926 – 8th September 2022. May she rest in God’s eternal peace. © Richard Puller 2022
20th Century
My Legends of Pop Music – Part Fifty-Nine –Eagles
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 2nd most favourite legends of pop [more…]
20th Century
Nostalgia Album, Nature’s Colosseum
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…]
20th Century
My Legends of Pop Music – Part Fifty-Eight – Smokie
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…]
20th Century
Naples – Front Line Problem City
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…]
19th Century
Sabrage, or how to show off at parties
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…]
20th Century
Uncle Fred, Edwardian Metropolitan Policeman
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…]