Hobbies
Crossword No. 195
First correct entry out of ‘the hat’ wins a book to the value of £20. Email entries to me by 6.00 pm Friday, subject ‘Crossword’. Contact here on email Winner of Crossword 194 and a [more…]
Hobbies
20th Century
Report From Kenya, March 1955
Two years into the Mau Mau emergency, my uncle John Alldridge reported from Kenya for the Manchester Evening News in March, 1955 – Jerry F. Tactical Force Headquarters East Africa Command Nyeri, Kenya, Monday [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
Postcard From Summer 1954, Part Two – Brighton
In 1954, the Manchester Evening News launched a “Special Investigation” and tasked my uncle, John Alldridge, with answering the question – Holidaymakers, do you get value for your MONEY? What follows is his report on [more…]
Animals
Larry’s Diary, One Hundred and Seventeen
Monday These Monday mornings seem to come around quicker and quicker for your intrepid cat reporter. One good thing about the family being back in residence is that the Little Otter has got her way [more…]
20th Century
Mystery Album, Part Seven
In part four of Mystery Album, I speculated that the above photograph (taken by our mystery family aboard the wherry Palace) was of a Norfolk Broads maltings. Judging by the order of the photos, it [more…]
Hobbies
Crossword No. 194
First correct entry out of ‘the hat’ wins a book to the value of £20. Email entries to me by 6.00 pm Friday, subject ‘Crossword’. Contact here on email Winner of Crossword 193 and a [more…]
Biography
Sailing my life away, part 26
Welcome back time-travellers. We have landed in mid-August 1997 at Scalloway on the Mainland of Shetland and are about to set sail for Fair Isle. Before we cast off from the Boating Club’s pontoon I’d [more…]
20th Century
Postcard From Summer 1954, Part One – Bournemouth
In 1954, the Manchester Evening News launched a “Special Investigation” and tasked my uncle, John Alldridge, with answering the question – Holidaymakers, do you get value for your MONEY? What follows is his report on [more…]