19th Century
Bullet Points
Every once in a while I get involved with some project or other relating to my hobby of collecting and shooting antique firearms and while individually these may not justify a separate GP article, I [more…]
Militaria
20th Century
Desert Mystery: “Letters from Afrika”, Part Six
In Part 5, I described how Afrika Korps Obergefrieter, Hans Walden, had written to Hildegard Bronnold about being strafed by the American Airforce, visiting the theatre in Tunis and staying at the home of an [more…]
20th Century
Desert Mystery: “Letters from Afrika”, Part Five
In Part Four, I described how Afrika Korps Obergefrieter, Hans Walden, had written to Hildegard Bronnold about suffering in a sandstorm, retreating back through Libya into Tunisia, and his hopes for Christmas 1942. In late [more…]
20th Century
Desert Mystery: “Letters from Afrika” Part Four
In Part 3, I described how Afrika Korps Gefreiter, Hans Walden, had written to Hildegard Bronnold about food parcels he had sent to her, his imaginary coloured pencil sketch of the Nile and his hope [more…]
20th Century
Desert Mystery: “Letters from Afrika”, Part Three
In Part 2, I described how Afrika Korps Gefreiter, Hans Walden, had written to Fraü H. Bronnold about not having had any leave, having his hair cut (“eine fläzte”) and drinking salty coffee. His next [more…]
20th Century
Desert Mystery: “Letters from Afrika”, Part Two
In Part 1, I recounted what the Afrika Korps Gefreiter, Hans Walden, had written to Fraü H. Bronnold in his letter of the 2nd of May 1942. His next letter of the 31st of May [more…]
20th Century
Desert Mystery: “Letters from Afrika”, Part One
“Bei den Fraüen geschätzt” In my DAK militaria collection I have a series of Feldpost letters, starting in May 1942, sent by a Deutsche Afrika Korps soldier, Hans Walden, to a Fraü H. Bronnold in [more…]
20th Century
A Ukrainian Enigma
I have an original photograph bought as part of a “bundle” from a militaria seller whose business model is to put together sets of documents, photographs and ephemera that appear to be vaguely related so [more…]
19th Century
Ancient and Modern (or a Tale of Two Cartridges: 2)
In Part One I described the processes involved in reloading the (to me at any rate) ‘modern’ .303 British cartridge, all stages of which can easily be automated. Now let’s look at what is involved [more…]