Nellie Duncan was born in Callander, near Stirling, in 1897, and as a child claimed the magical ability called “second sight”. She dallied with the supernatural from a young age and upon becoming an unmarried mother at 17, she was disowned by her parents, and found unpleasant work in a jute mill. In 1916 she married… Continue reading Nellie Duncan the witch of WW2
Tag: war
Whatever happened to the missing dead from Waterloo?
One of the big mysteries about the epic Battle of Waterloo may have been solved. There are several big battles in British history where despite large numbers of recorded casualties, few oil any human remains or skeletons have been found. Sometimes it is because the bodies were taken away, sometimes the exact location of the… Continue reading Whatever happened to the missing dead from Waterloo?
The Letters of Last Resort
Following on my last post on Surviving a Nuclear War, it’s important to remember that just because Russia launches a Nuclear Missile, it doesn’t necessarily mean we are all doomed. If nothing else we have seen just how inept aspects of Russian military and intelligence are. If Putin were to give orders for a nuclear… Continue reading The Letters of Last Resort
How to survive a nuclear war
It’s hard to escape the news about crazy dictator Putin threatening the world with nuclear war; its something many of us alive at least up to about 1990 will remember was always a chance occurrence but the old style communists in the Kremlin were a bit more sensible than the big breasted but not very… Continue reading How to survive a nuclear war
Helping Ukranian Refugees in Romania with “Inima de Copil” (Heart of a Child) charity.
Like many any of us, I’ve seen glimpses of the news of the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine and was struck in one report of how civilians were lining up at the border with Romania with another line on the Romanian side of people waiting to take away strangers. Romania is a country I’m very… Continue reading Helping Ukranian Refugees in Romania with “Inima de Copil” (Heart of a Child) charity.
Why Ukraine matters
I’m frequently staggered though not surprised as just how inept, short-sighted and self-serving the politicians of this world seem to be. 20 years after Putin destroyed Chechnya whose only crime was to be resource rich and not want to be ruled from Moscow any more; 14 years after Putin invaded the sovereign nation of Georgia… Continue reading Why Ukraine matters
How a dyslexic schoolgirl helped design the Spitfire!
With its graceful curves, elliptical wings and distinctive engine sound, the Spitfireis a British icon. A status solidified since its heroic efforts in the Battle of Britain in 1940. The Spitfire is the most famous fighter aircraft in British aviation history and has a fighting chance at perhaps being the most famous plane in history. More than any… Continue reading How a dyslexic schoolgirl helped design the Spitfire!
A visit to the impregnable Tilbury Fortress
Last Monday being part of a long Bank-holiday Monday and us entering our months behind schedule first warm weather of the year, I decided to visit Tilbury Fortress in the county of Essex though to all intents and purposes it is on the edge of London. It’s a property that belongs to English Heritage and… Continue reading A visit to the impregnable Tilbury Fortress
An account of when my house was almost hit by a Nazi rocket in WW2
Over the last week or two I have been reading old magazines of histories and memories of my village, rather similar to some of the ones I write myself. A lady by the name of Mollie Thomas strikes particularly close to home as though in her 80’s, writes about her time growing up here in… Continue reading An account of when my house was almost hit by a Nazi rocket in WW2
Coronavirus Diary – Social distancing on the battlefield with King Cassivellaunus – kicker of Roman ass!
Those of us who haven’t gone completely doolally in these self-isolating times might remember a few weeks ago I wrote Coronavirus Diary 23 – A visit to Caesar’s Pond, Stanmore. This post pretty much carries on from there and just 15 minutes walk through the woods, would I hope bring me to an extremely ancient… Continue reading Coronavirus Diary – Social distancing on the battlefield with King Cassivellaunus – kicker of Roman ass!
Stephen Liddell 