20th Century
Report From Israel, 1957 – Part One
In 1957 my uncle, John Alldridge visited Israel for the Birmingham Mail. This is the first of his reports. – Jerry F You can learn a lot about a man in 24 hours. Particularly when [more…]
1950s
20th Century
Buried Treasure: An Acropolis on The Frontier
Amongst a century of detritus at the BBC, there lies some buried treasure. Between layers of fake news, preachy left-wing documentaries and un-funny comedy, the BBC’s iPlayer hides a gleaming gem of an old archaeology [more…]
20th Century
Buried Treasure: The Peat Bog Murder Mystery
Amongst a century of detritus at the BBC there lies some buried treasure. Between layers of fake news, preachy left-wing documentaries and un-funny comedy, the BBC’s iPlayer hides a gleaming gem of an old archaeology [more…]
20th Century
Modern Policing – A Copper’s View From 1950
In 1950 John E Horwell, the former Chief Constable of Scotland Yard, set out his view of the state of modern policing; a view which will resonate with many 73 years later. This article first [more…]
20th Century
Scottish Tour, Part Three
Cape Wrath Cape Wrath is a cape located in the Durness parish of the county of Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands. It is known for being the most north-westerly point in mainland Britain and boasts [more…]
20th Century
What’s in a Name?
A few days ago, the Little Girl Next Door had a school friend come home when school finished at three o’clock. They happily played in the back garden and the visitor stayed for tea. A [more…]
20th Century
A Scottish Tour, Part Two
Loch Ailort As we accompany my grandparents (and their caravan) on their 1956 Scottish road tour, we reach Loch Ailort, a west coast sea loch and popular tourist destination. Or do we? The location of [more…]
Arts
A Scottish Tour
In 1957, Scotland was undergoing significant social and economic change. The post-war years had seen a boom in heavy industry, particularly in shipbuilding and steel production, but by the late 1950s, this growth was beginning [more…]
20th Century
A Leicestershire Lad (Continued)
When I finished writing my recent article about the role the small Leicestershire village of Barkby played in shaping me into the person that I am today, I realised that there were many anecdotes that [more…]