When English First World War hero and flying ace, “Rutland of Jutland”, became an advisor to the Japanese military on naval aviation in the 1920s, no-one seemed to have thought much more of it. After all, Japan was an ally in WW1. No-one paid much attention — until Pearl Harbor, that is. “Rutland of Jutland”… Continue reading Rutland of Jutland and a day that will live in infamy
Author: martin_hedges
Asylum seekers or economic migrants stealing jobs?
Research is like rummaging through your dead grandad’s belongings, only to discover some never-told secret. I wasn’t looking for information on Jewish East European immigration; my interest was in Octavius Morgan and his views, as demonstrated by his speeches in Parliament. But you will see what I am getting at if you read this UK… Continue reading Asylum seekers or economic migrants stealing jobs?
‘Heart and mind’ by Edith Sitwell
Really pining for the fjords
If you had visited the magnificent Crystal Palace in the summer of 1887 the attractions awaiting you were many and varied. There were cycle races pitting men against racehorses, balloon ascents pitting man against the birds and a Japanese acrobat known as the Original Little All-Right and his act known as the Slide For Life.… Continue reading Really pining for the fjords
A Bad Day (and Night) at the Office at Waterloo
If you visit the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, you’l find there a florid Baroque monument to a dead scion of an English aristocratic family, The Ponsonbys. William Ponsonby, or to give him his titles, Sir William Ponsonby KCB, MP for Londonderry, was killed at the Battle of Waterloo, on June 18 200… Continue reading A Bad Day (and Night) at the Office at Waterloo
Yesterday once more
You cannot get a clearer lesson from history than this. Substitute in the following speech from the British House of Commons from 121 years ago words such as Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, ISIL, Taliban and the rest and for Britain, replace with ‘The West’ and you’ll see what I mean. Nothing, but nothing, changes, everything really… Continue reading Yesterday once more
Why advertising agencies were invented
They say ‘sell the benefits’, but Floriline’s graphic realism small ad that ran for more than 20 years points to just how malodorous things must have been in the drawing room of the 19th century. This is why David Ogilvy, Jay Chiat and a bunch more 20th century artists in communication have an honoured place… Continue reading Why advertising agencies were invented
Is there a rack where disused words are hung?
Is there a rack where disused words are hung like lost umbrellas, waiting for someone to claim and recycle them? Here’s a verb: to glimm. Sadly I am either much too young or much too old to ever utter it, but my unanswerable question is how it came to mean two totally diametrically opposed actions… Continue reading Is there a rack where disused words are hung?