Category Archives: History

The Sledgehammer and the Scalpel: Hamburg 1943 and Amiens 1944

Posted on June 16, 2017 by

Introduction The Germans achieved a stupendous military victory in the summer of 1940 leaving Britain isolated behind the English Channel, which acted as a ‘moat’. It quickly became apparent the Germans couldn’t invade Britain and vice versa. A military impasse … Continue reading →

Posted in History, War | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Nice people don’t become Nazis: Dorothy Thompson 1941

Posted on June 6, 2017 by

Kind, good, happy, gentlemanly, secure people never go Nazi. They may be the gentle philosopher whose name is in the Blue Book, or Bill from City College to whom democracy gave a chance to design airplanes—you’ll never make Nazis out … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Literature, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The MCC, social-class and English Cricket in the 1960s

Posted on June 2, 2017 by

The MCC* ruled English cricket with an iron fist in the 1960s. County cricket administrators were a version of the MCC, using their social-class and status as Gentlemen to control cricket. Professional cricketers were regarded as social inferiors because they … Continue reading →

Posted in History, School, Sport | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

William Tyndale School: Returning after 64 years

Posted on May 25, 2017 by

On the 16th of May 2017 I returned to the brick lined alleyway, which led to the school building. There were two entrances one for boys and the other for girls. This was historically true but obviously, in 2017, sexual … Continue reading →

Posted in Autobiography, History, School | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Lenin’s cushy exile in Siberia 1897-1900

Posted on May 16, 2017 by

He… received a steady stream of books on extended loan from libraries in St Petersburg and Moscow, via the good offices of his sisters, to supply his voracious appetite for reading. Despite his frustrations with the speed of the postal … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The importance of the battle of Mukden (1905)

Posted on April 21, 2017 by

The carnage of the first world war wasn’t inevitable. The horrendous losses suffered could have been avoided by high commands sensitive to the evolution of warfare techniques. Their ‘war games’ were a hapless iteration of previous obsolete military experiences. Nine … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Technology, War | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Theresa May: will she deliver a Brexit paradise on June 8th 2017?

Posted on April 21, 2017 by

“On the day that Theresa May triggered article 50, YouGov published a survey of the things people whould like brought back after Britain has left the EU. Top of the list was the death penalty, with 52% of those who … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Humour, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment