20th Century
The Lancaster Bomber
Most will know about the Lancaster Bomber, that it was designed by Ray Chadwick to carry a huge bomb load a very long way and was probably the best bomber in WWII, certainly the most [more…]
WW II
20th Century
Mitchell’s Spitfire
Earlier this year, we revisited The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery in Hanley, primarily because we wanted to see the Anglo-Saxon Staffordshire Hoard exhibits once again. Now living only a few miles away, a quiet [more…]
20th Century
The Desert War – November 1942
November would see the assault at El Alamein succeed and the Axis would now be on the back foot as they withdrew towards Tripoli and eventually Tunisia. On the 16th November the Stoneage convoy of [more…]
20th Century
The Desert War – October 1942
This month 44% of military cargo and fuel sent to Libya was sunk, this was better than the 33% sunk last month and Churchill later claimed that petrol was especially targeted and 66% of that [more…]
20th Century
The Desert War – September 1942
A funny old month September 1942 in the desert. A few attempts to break through on the sand but only half hearted. The navy was still in the thick of it and the air war [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…]
20th Century
The Desert War – August 1942
August 80 years ago and although the situation in the desert starts off mostly quiet all hell is breaking out at sea. The Axis are desperate to resupply Rommel and the Allies are equally desperate [more…]
History
Jersey – a Postcard
No, it’s not about trains, in fact there are no railways on Jersey, the horror! Being a pureblood, many holiday destinations (USA, Spain, Cruises) are out of the question at the moment. Not that big [more…]
20th Century
The Desert War – July 1942
The month of July 80 years ago sees what became known as the 1st Battle of El Alamein, the 2nd would become the more famous one. In the first one the German advance was halted [more…]