20th Century
What did you do in the war grandad?
This is the brief story of my grandad and his part in the war. Here is a picture of George with who we think is his grandmother in the early 1900s. George Gilfoyle was born [more…]
WW I
19th Century
Nostalgia Album, Part Four
With there being only 11 years between them both my grandfather, Elihu, and his nephew, John Jr, joined up for the Second War. Last time we looked at my grandfather’s service in the RAOC and [more…]
Arts
Fish & Ships
I’d like to begin by introducing you to a rather special lady. She was born in February 1957, the first of twelve sisters. A real local lass, she lived and worked from the Humber all [more…]
20th Century
Joyeux Noël – The Film & The Reality
“What would happen, I wonder, if the armies suddenly and simultaneously went on strike and said some other method must be found of settling the dispute ? ” — Winston Churchill to his wife, Clementine, [more…]
20th Century
Remembrance Sunday
Illustrating the Apocalypse: Goodbye Old Man Address to Legion lunch 5th June 1994 at the Jameson Hotel Just an Ordinary Jack Tar? The Place where Trust died The Merchant Navy Boy A Medic with 130 [more…]
20th Century
The .303 Pattern 1914 – the Best Battle Rifle the British Army Never Had?
Introduction The humiliations suffered by the British Army at the hands of untrained Boer irregulars during the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 caused a great deal of concern at the War Office where questions were soon [more…]
20th Century
Mystery Album, Part Three
A mystery album has fallen into my possession. The photos suggest it belonged to a wealthy, well-travelled but thus far unidentified family. No doubt Puffins will help me to solve the puzzle but first, two [more…]
20th Century
Albert Ball – The Angel-Faced Killer
Breakfast His place was laid, The messroom clock struck eight The sun shone through the window On his chair. No one commented on his fate, Save for a headshake here and there; Only old George [more…]
20th Century
Book Review: Silent Village, Robert Pike
There have been a number of books on the disaster that overran Oradour-sur-Glane on Saturday June 10th 1944 but this is the first one that I have read that finely details the lives of the [more…]