Fiction
Némésis Ch 6
Ash Shaddadi, the Syrian Governorate of Al Hasakha, December 2017 They crossed the Kahbur River about five kilometres south of Ash Shaddadi at 08:45 the next morning. Ripley had picked up on the mood of [more…]
Blown Periphery
Fiction
Némésis Ch 5
Northern Iraq and the Syrian Governorate of Al Hasakha, December 2017 Ripley lay in the tarpaulin hammock, underneath an overhead poncho they had used to keep the sun out of her eyes. They were sensitive [more…]
Fiction
Némésis Ch 4
Northern Iraq, December 2017 Halward clambered up into the extremely cramped rear compartment of the Supacat. They had cleared a space so that Ripley could lie down. She was huddled in her sleeping bag plus [more…]
Fiction
Némésis Ch 3
Northern Iraq, December 2017 It was Sunday. Ripley had been kept awake by the wailing of the female fighters, mourning the death of the Peshmerga during the fighting of the previous day. They had buried [more…]
Fiction
Némésis Ch 2
Northern Iraq, November-December 2017 The Kurds were ostensibly Sunni Muslims although they seemed to display a rather more developed attitude towards the practice of their faith. The women generally covered their heads with either a [more…]
Fiction
Némésis, Ch 1 – Prologue
In this work of fiction I have used the term The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) rather than the more familiar Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The term Daesh (al-Dawlah [more…]
20th Century
The Westland Whirlwind
The Whirlwind was a twin-engine, heavy fighter developed by Westland Aircraft, not to be confused by the Westland Whirlwind helicopter of many years later. It was developed in the 1930s as a heavy fighter and [more…]
Fiction
Merry Christmas, Sergeant Edge
Edge knew that he was coming down with something. His head felt muggy and the back of his throat and soft palate felt enlarged and spongy. He had been unable to clear his left ear, [more…]
History
The York Cohort
In 1953 Harry Martingale an apprentice plumber was working in the cellar of the Treasurers House in York. The building had been acquired by the National Trust in 1930 and it required extensive restorative work. [more…]