Category Archives: history

Creating a Stink

Ask anyone to name a great engineer of the Victorian era, and they will probably say Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The little man with the big hat, the big cigar, the big chains, the big railway gauge, the big ships and the big ideas. So yes, he did quite a lot of big stuff. But farContinue reading “Creating a Stink”

Henllan Bridge Prisoner of War Camp 30, part 2

Henllan Camp 30 finally closed its gates on April… 1948, the last prisoners being transported to other camps. The reports by the re-education inspectors always list the senior British officers at the camp. As well as Lt.Col. E.C. Barton, the commandant, the British Staff sergeants are singled out for mention in several reports, with interestinglyContinue reading “Henllan Bridge Prisoner of War Camp 30, part 2”

Henllan Bridge Prisoner of War Camp 30, part 1

Years ago, when I was writing A Time For Silence, I included prisoners from a P.O.W. camp, because I knew there had been one in the area. I knew a former Italian prisoner who had stayed on in Britain, and while looking through local newspapers in the late 40s, I can across several references toContinue reading “Henllan Bridge Prisoner of War Camp 30, part 1”

Places in our Memories: With Thorne Moore #MondayBlogs #Memories #SlightHumour

Originally posted on Judith Barrow:
There are places that remain in our memories, the details may become slightly blurred, nostalgia may colour our thoughts, but they don’t fade. And how those places made us feel at the time is the one thing that remains. Today I’m pleased to hand over to Thorne Moore. These are…

Places in our Memories #MondayBlogs #Memories

Originally posted on Judith Barrow:
There are places that remain in our memories, the details may become slightly blurred, nostalgia may colour our thoughts, but they don’t fade. And how those places made us feel at the time is the one thing that remains. Copyright: @TalkSaddleworth This is one of my memories; the street I…

Creating the Maze…… – by Alis Hawkins

Originally posted on Crime Cymru:
Under our themed topic of “How I Write”, this week Crime Cymru’s Alis Hawkins takes a look at a writing method used by a recent award winner and compares it with her own methodology. Creating the maze… This year’s winner of both the Gold Dagger and the Historical Dagger at…

The Cold Dead Hand of the Written Word

The pen is mightier than the sword. There is an element of truth in that. The moment words are written down, they somehow acquire a power that can be quite overwhelming, as if they instantly become Fact. “I read somewhere…” “The newspaper say…” “Look, it’s written here in black and white…” Written words can beContinue reading “The Cold Dead Hand of the Written Word”

History, Legend, Myth and a Broken Obelisk

There have been many occasions when I have seen or heard something, a single image, that immediately inspired a potential story. There’s the ruined cottage two fields down from my garden. There’s the dark lane I used to walk along, coming home from Junior School, where all sorts of unpleasant people might be lurking. There’sContinue reading “History, Legend, Myth and a Broken Obelisk”

Tales my Great Aunt told me. 2: fame and infamy.

My colourful great aunt in Cardiff passed on many tales about my Welsh family, and I quickly concluded, even as a child, that they were mostly fairy tales. Her stories did not begin with “Once upon a time,” and end with “They all lived happily ever after.” They were more hints, a word or sentencesContinue reading “Tales my Great Aunt told me. 2: fame and infamy.”