Tag Archives: First World War

Bertrand Russell in Brixton prison, 1918

Posted on July 20, 2018 by odeboyz

For the first two months of his sentence, life at Brixton prison suited Russell perfectly. Freed from the demands of both political campaigning and romantic attachments,* he was able to live precisely the kind of cloistered, contemplative life he craved. … Continue reading →

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

Why Can’t Babies Vote? Insights from the Sorites Paradox

Posted on October 27, 2017 by odeboyz

The 1918 Representation of the People Act swept away gender and property as qualifications for the franchise, leaving age as the sole criterion. Although there’s been tinkering with the actual age at which British citizens can vote, the principle remains … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The price of naivety: Verdun 1916

Posted on September 29, 2017 by odeboyz

The Bismarckian precept that two-front wars are disastrous shaped his foreign policy. He created a gigantic balance-of-power, which kept European peace from the formation of Germany in 1871 until 1914. Needless to relate 43 years of peace wasn’t a blessing … Continue reading →

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

Field Marshal Douglas Haig’s Glittering Prizes

Posted on September 15, 2017 by odeboyz

Douglas Haig was adored by the British after he’d defeated Germany in 1918. Traditionally returning military heroes were garlanded with honours and wealth and Haig was no exception. Lloyd George, the Prime Minister, had doubts about the stellar qualities of … Continue reading →

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

The importance of the battle of Mukden (1905)

Posted on April 21, 2017 by odeboyz

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

The women of Paris during the battle of Verdun 1916*

Posted on January 24, 2017 by odeboyz

As if by the germination of a tiny quantity of yeast, apparently of spontaneous generation, young women now went about all day with tall cylindrical turbans on their heads, as a contemporary of Mme Tallien’s might have done, and from … Continue reading →

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

The ‘Cat and Mouse’ Act 1913

Posted on October 21, 2016 by odeboyz

The 1913 Prisoners (Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health) Act was an elegant way of nullifying the women prisoners who were using hunger strikes for publicity. The government was irritated by the suffragette movement (the lesser of two constitutional crises* they faced), … Continue reading →

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

Fame

Posted on May 24, 2016 by odeboyz

Gavrilo Princip famously assassinated Franz Joseph An action cascading down the ages. Creating war and mayhem all over Europe. He became the hottest of hot topics and Died a forgotten man without glory -a miserable coughing death of TB- (They … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Soldiers Tale

Posted on November 6, 2014 by odeboyz

My lovely old Grand-dad was all the more lovely – when after a few Guinness’ he would get nostalgic and regale us with some of the lighter moments he spent in the army. He joined the army as a boy … Continue reading →

Posted in Autobiography, War | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Uncle Bert

Posted on August 5, 2014 by odeboyz

Uncle Bert A grizzled old man Never laughed or smiled On the beach at Cliftonville with his knotted hanky hat He sat – and coughed and coughed all day. Aunt Lil told Mum of his time in France His adventure … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Poetry, War | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment