20th Century
The Desert War – January 1942
The start of 1942 saw the British starting off on the front foot but ending the month retreating eastwards as the Germans and Italians advanced and as usual there was lots of action on the [more…]
British Army
20th Century
The Desert War – December 1941
The last month of the year 80 years ago. Still living in infamy the Americans finally got off the pot having spent much of 1941 making preparations for war. The action this month is in [more…]
20th Century
The Desert War – November 1941
We reach November 80 years ago. In the 16 or so months since the start of the campaign in June 1940 we have seen us nibble at the Italians in Libya, the Italians attack us [more…]
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 Desert War – October 1941
We reach October 80 years ago and it is still fairly quiet on the ground in North Africa but the Royal Navy is still busy. The big news this month is that there is a [more…]
20th Century
The Desert War – September 1941
Into September 80 years ago and only one piece of news from the lingering battle for East Africa where the Italian garrison at Wolchefitt Pass in Abyssinia surrendered to the King’s African Rifles. Meanwhile back [more…]
Fiction
Jinnie’s Story – Book Two, Chapter Twelve
The day after the Election Jinnie slept late, in fact the whole house did. By the time she got downstairs and put the TV on the Reform Party had a 99 seat majority with two [more…]
20th Century
The Desert War – August 1941
August 1941 was extraordinarily quiet in the theatres we are concentrating on. This month it is only news from Libya and precious little of it there is. But things were happening in Italy. In Tobruk [more…]
Fiction
Jinnie’s Story – Book Two, Chapter Nine
Jinnie woke early on Tuesday morning and when she moved she realised she had a slight headache, a disadvantage of working behind a bar and being bought a few drinks. Right she thought, it was [more…]