20th Century
Remembering
As Puffins may already know, it was my birthday last week. The hints were heavy and even segued into a review of French New Wave cinema – like me, a conveniently early 1960s phenomenon. Thank [more…]
WW II
20th Century
TANKFEST 2026 & The Tank Museum, Pt 2
The Tank Museum itself is worth a visit, regardless of whether there’s an event taking place or not. It’s a very large museum and could easily take a full day to explore if you want [more…]
20th Century
The Westland Whirlwind
The Whirlwind was a twin-engine, heavy fighter developed by Westland Aircraft, not to be confused by the Westland Whirlwind helicopter of many years later. It was developed in the 1930s as a heavy fighter and [more…]
20th Century
So…What’s Going Postal good for? (Part 2)
Following on from Part 1………………… BB replied to me thus : Dear DJM Thank you for your kind reply. Your work is remarkable. Like you, I believe these photos are historical documents in their own right. [more…]
20th Century
So…What’s Going Postal good for? (Part 1)
Recently I received out of the blue an email, (forwarded by the inimitable AWS) from a fulminating Frenchman. He’d come across an article of mine on GP from 2022 – The Family at War four parter [more…]
20th Century
The War we think ended in 1945
Most people believe World War II ended in 1945. In reality, its most important consequences were only beginning. The fighting stopped. The maps were redrawn. The narrative was presented as settled—and fixed in place. But [more…]
20th Century
Standing with Giants: A Postcard from Pompey
‘Twas on a grey, damp and dismal day in January that, together with a couple of my ‘dementia friends’, I headed off to Fort Nelson, one of Palmerston’s Follies. This particular Fort is not quite [more…]
20th Century
Letters from an Arbeitsmaid – Part Two
In Part 1, I described how in late 1943 and early 1944, Hildegard Uhl had written to her friend Eva Möller, the recipient of Feldpost from the Afrika Korps soldier Hans Coutandin of “Desert Mystery: [more…]
20th Century
Letters from an Arbeitsmaid – Part One
My series of articles Desert Mystery: Letters from a Feldgrau, was based upon the translation of FeldPost letters in my collection that Hans Coutandin, a soldier in the Deutsches Afrika Korps, had sent to Eva [more…]