The gales and the damage that have occurred this week caused me to reflect on the past. It made me also realise that we have come a long way since I had to trim oil lamps and put shillings in the gas meter. The changes have not only been extreme but clearly detrimental in many… Continue reading Are We Past The Pinnacle?
How Schools Can Mould Character
I was on board a corvette in Belfast Harbour; while repairing a set and talking to the wireless operator, an officer stuck his head into the office and said “Williams…” and then he stopped. “I thought you were Williams, ” he said, “You sound just like him.” I smiled, he left and I got on… Continue reading How Schools Can Mould Character
Christian Science As I Found It
My Aunt became a Christian Scientist, influenced by an artist friend who lived in Manchester. She passed her ideas on to my mother and after a while my mother became a wishy-washy version herself, never quite at the heart of the movement, but reading a lot, which was a necessity, because Mrs Mary Baker-Eddy based… Continue reading Christian Science As I Found It
It All Started With A Fish Box
This was originally posted on 15th September last, I thought it might amuse some who had not read it. One day, in calm weather, the Petty Officers Messman appeared on deck and sat down to scrape a fish box. No one took any notice, but as the day progressed so did the fish box. He… Continue reading It All Started With A Fish Box
The Vagaries of Engineering
Sleight of hand. In one place I worked the boss had the theory that everyone made at least one mistake in anything he did. Give the boss a sheaf of drawings to check and approve, he would look at every one of them until he found a mistake, which was not blatant. It could take… Continue reading The Vagaries of Engineering
The Golden Rivet
If the wide screen is to be believed, in the days of the great railroad expansion in the USA, there was a tradition that on the completion of a section of track, a golden spike was ceremoniously driven into the last tie. In the Navy there was a legend that every wooden warship had a… Continue reading The Golden Rivet
Teachers As Surrogate Parents
Recently there have been a number of changes in national policy which seem to have neither rhyme nor reason, but the most arrogant of them all, apart from the wars, is the proposal to extend the school leaving age across the board. In the 30s, some of my friends matriculated, and others left at 14… Continue reading Teachers As Surrogate Parents
Clement Atlee On Epsom Downs
Those of the Television Era would not appreciate the shock of misconception suffered when brought face to face with a politician whose appearance and mien have been conjured from only newspaper articles, radio interviews and radio comment, when there was no TV. Recently, all we see is the top few of our leaders and their… Continue reading Clement Atlee On Epsom Downs
Bits and Pieces 1
Throw art y’moldies! This was the period when people went everywhere in charabancs, those overblown, single-deck buses with their thin tyres and great over-hang at the back. Derby Day, early in June, was a great outing in our part of South London, especially as it was on the route directly to Epsom Downs. There was… Continue reading Bits and Pieces 1
More Rubbish About Rubbish
On the ninth of October last, I wrote an article about rubbish. Unfortunately I feel I have to make some further points more strongly, because the Local Authorities in conjunction with the Government are still intending to further charge us for collecting our rubbish. They are using the current, excessive amounts being put out for… Continue reading More Rubbish About Rubbish