20th Century
The Desert War – September 1940
80 years ago this month things started hotting up. The Italians invaded Egypt and there was a fair bit of action at sea. On the 5th 6 Blenheims and 6 Hurricanes arrived in crates at [more…]
Royal Navy
20th Century
The Desert War – August 1940
We reach August 1940, eighty years ago. Things still looking bleak for the Brits and it doesn’t really improve this month and we moan about the lockdown, albeit with some justification. The Italians had been [more…]
20th Century
The Desert War – July 1940
Now we reach the 80th anniversary of July 1940 in the Desert War. Slim pickings in Libya and Egypt this month, both sides were gearing up for battle but the Navies were kept on their [more…]
20th Century
HMS Amethyst and the Yangtse “Incident”
Simon’s Story It’s warm in the room and I’m lying cosily in that semi-trance state, debating whether to close my inner eyelids for ever, or to attempt to explain my small part in the story. I [more…]
20th Century
Fleet Air Arm Museum
End of January I had a trip down to the Fleet Air Arm Museum at RNAS Yeovilton with a couple of fellow Postaliers. Don’t arrive after 11 am if you want breakfast in the cafeteria. [more…]
20th Century
A Medic with 130 Fld. Amb. RAMC; September 1940-41
While going through all my father’s bits and pieces, which have been boxed up since his death, I came across a four page type-written reminiscence of the time he was stationed in Dover between 1940-41. [more…]
20th Century
Address to Legion lunch 5th June 1994 at the Jameson Hotel
-1.- Thanks for introduction. Originally suggested review of OVERLORD. Broad coverage of the operation is not feasible in a talk of this sort so I won’t attempt it, except to quote something that was said at [more…]
Arts
Standards, Flags and Colours
In an attempt to win the driest, dullest posted article I present this. The document’s first couple of lines regarding a diversity and inclusion impact assessment may take readers aback. We all know that Royal [more…]
America
Iran Seizes British Flagged Tanker
I write this at 2015 on Friday 19th July, so by the time you read this things may have developed further. Right now the breaking news is a few hours ago the British flagged tanker [more…]