20th Century
The Wickedest Man in History
This is my uncle John Alldridge’s article for the Manchester Evening News on the 10th anniversary of Hitler’s death on 30 April, 1945 – Jerry F By today it was clear the Reichswehr had had [more…]
History
20th Century
Stand in the Trench, Achilles*
Most of us, if asked, would be able to name a fair number of WW1 poets and writers without too much hesitation. Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Edmund Blunden, Robert Graves, Rupert Brooke, Isaac Rosenberg – [more…]
20th Century
Nostalgia Album, Gibraltar Childhood
At first glance, it would seem unlikely to drive all the way from Carlisle to Gibraltar just to take a photograph of a filling station. Albeit an interesting one which was, as we saw last [more…]
20th Century
My Legends of Pop Music – Part Forty-Nine–Pet Shop Boys
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…]
20th Century
Nostalgia Album, Journey’s End
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…]
20th Century
My Legends of Pop Music – Part Forty-Eight–Showaddywaddy
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…]
20th Century
The Desert War – June 1942
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…]
Arts
The tale of John Barleycorn
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…]
20th Century
The Front Line Reporter
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…]