20th Century
My Uncle David
My dad was one of eight brothers. The oldest of these, born in 1915, was called David. I can remember him from the 1950s but he was always a bit distant, a bit odd in [more…]
Biography
20th Century
Desert Fox: Erwin Rommel and the Deutsches Afrikakorps
The “Deutsches Afrikakorps” (DAK) were formed in 1941 after the failure of the Italian defence of their North African colonies against the British advance in Operation “Compass”. The Germans sent out the DAK, initially composed [more…]
Biography
The Political Civil Servant
On one of AWS’s recent informative pieces on Scotland, he mentioned Waverley Station in Edinburgh and I mentioned in the comments (which nobody reads) that perhaps the most versatile civil servant ever, John Anderson, took [more…]
America
An Honest Biography of Kamala Harris
The 20th of October 1964 saw the birth of Kamala Iyer Harris at Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Oakland, California, a daughter to accomplished academics Shyamala and Donald Harris. Shyamala was already a PhD in nutrition [more…]
19th Century
Once Quarried From The Old Testament
They say you should never meet your heroes. Is this a recent phenomenon? Certainly, you’d be advised to make an excuse and leave if you think a chief constable is about to enter the room. [more…]
Biography
Going Postal, Part Three
Just before 2000, I decided to give up a well-paid job and comfortable life in Japan to make a new start in my homeland. I had bought a share in a house in south London, [more…]
Biography
Going Postal, Part Two
Just before 2000, I decided to give up a well-paid job and comfortable life in Japan to make a new start in my homeland. I had bought a share in a house in south London, [more…]
Biography
Going Postal, Part One
Just before 2000, I decided to give up a well-paid job and comfortable life in Japan to make a new start — please don’t laugh — in my homeland. England. Get back to my roots. [more…]
Biography
Tales From The Alarm Industry Hong Kong Special
I hadn’t intended to write about my trip to Hong Kong and subsequent work but here it is. I hope you find it interesting. Having finished with the alarm company on Friday, I was due [more…]