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This is a fascinating story by Lord Ashdown (Paddy Ashdown). Whilst the story recounts the heroic actions of many SOE and French resistance agents, it focuses primarily on three people – a British secret agent Roger Landes; the Gestapo counter-espionage officer Frederick Dohse; and a French resistance leader André Grandclément who was responsible for most of the controversial betrayal that took place in France from 1942 to 1944. At first, I thought this was going to be documentary recounting the many conflicts between the Gestapo and the resistance and SOE in France. But it’s more than that, – it’s a gripping story that unfolds during World War II from the time the SOE agents are trained in England to the final days of the liberation of the Bordeaux area and the snub given to British agents by General de Gaulle. The book was clearly painstakingly researched – there are literally hundreds of references. Highly recommended!
Good Reads review:
This 90 minute film, tells the amazing and dramatic story of Gertrude Bell (1868 – 1926) who worked tirelessly to get the British Empire to do the right thing in the Middle East during and following World War I. The two features are the incredible story of her life and the vivid historical photographs. I highly recommend it. The narrator takes you on a journey through Gertrude’s life where she expounds on the critically and globally important issues of the day Whilst painting beautiful word pictures of the magic of the orient and life as it was during the decline of the Ottoman Empire and later in sharp contrast the stark reality of World War I. The film goes on describe the creation of new countries and rulers in the post-war period set against the hard commercialism of the British and American scramble for possession of oil rights.
Gertrude was a contemporary of T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) but far more influential. Sadly she has been almost completely written out of history. In large part, this film tells her story by the narrator reading from Gertrude’s letters set against a backcloth of original photographic and film footage from the period. Just seeing these Edwardian and wartime images and films is an historic feast in itself. If you want to see what Damascus, Baghdad, Cairo and the amazing ruins at places like Babylon & Palmyra were like just watch this film. The real Orient Express is also depicted with scenes at Istanbul and Baghdad. Despite the black-and-white imagery the desert scenes are stunning! There is also amazing footage from scenes in London and Paris. It’s an historians delight!
I was particularly struck by her very clear understanding of the circumstances and future challenges of the period. Much of what she says still rings true today! Here are a few quotes from her letters:
Talking about what would eventually become Iraq she said, “The first thing we should do in this country is to understand what is going on at the bottom of the Shia mind.”
As Britain began to occupy the new country of Iraq she said “The real difficulty under which we labour is that we don’t know exactly what we intend to do with this country. We rushed into this business with our usual disregard for a comprehensive political scheme.”
During World War I she said, “Can you persuade people to take your side when you are not sure if you will be there to take theirs?”
The film is currently available via BBC iPlayer, (also available to buy through other sources)
Also see: Gertrude Bell – Wikipedia
Last month George and I made our last journey together….. up to Aldershot crematorium from Portsmouth. I know this sounds a bit crazy since George’s funeral was in March but I had agreed that rather than have his ashes buried at the crematorium at Porchester, I would take them to Aldershot for them to be placed next to our mum and dad.
George was born in Aldershot in 1937. After dad’s army posting to Hong Kong, mum and brothers George, Tommy & John joined him there in 1938.
In July 1940 mum and my brothers were evacuated to Australia where they spent the rest of WWII. Finally they returned to Britain in 1945 and following a brief spell staying with relations in South Wales and with Granny in Hounslow, Middlesex, George returned to Aldershot as an eight-year-old.
through those beautiful Surrey Hills, including Crooksbury Hill, which was the first place he took me on these explorations. Earlier this month, George and I went on that journey to his final resting place at Aldershot crematorium, just a few hundred yards from our home in Gloucester Road.
It is my sad duty to inform you that my brother George passed away last week. The family, friends and I will miss him very much. Right now however I would like to share with you some photos in memory of him and give you details of the funeral:
The funeral will take place at 11.15am, 29th March at: Portchester Crematorium, Upper Cornaway Lane, Portchester, Hampshire. PO16 8NE. 01329 822533. In addition you may visit the chapel of rest at the funeral directors’ premises. You must call them first to let them know you are coming: Lee Fletcher Funeral Services, 95 High St, Portsmouth PO6 3AZ tel: 023 9238 4455 Floral tributes should be sent to Lee Fletcher on the day For those that want to make donations rather than floral tributes please donate to the charity WaterAid which George supported. There will be a reception after the funeral. Please let me know (vic@ient.org.uk) if you would like to come. Or tel: 01273 251964
Here is a link to the photo album (I hope to add more as time goes by):
Here are some very innovative ways of capturing kinetic energy from the sea. We need governments to give incentives to industry to develop, build and deploy these systems. I hope the Rt Hon Greg Clark MP @gregclarkmp UK Government Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy @beisgovuk will put some ‘energy’ into #renewableenergy and not just into #fossilfuel
Yes, some are more complex than others. Cost vary as well. I like this one, which is probably relatively inexpensive:
We seem to have very few renewable energy projects in the seas around the UK which seem crazy since we are surrounded by the stuff! However this one (see below) started development in about 2008 seems to have got off the ground with funding commitment by the then Lib Dem Energy Secretary, Ed Davey in 2011. This was before the renewable energy funding cutbacks by the Conservative government elected in 2015: (click the image to go to the Guardian article). Lib Dem policy would bring renewable energy project to forefront!
Theoretically the turbine will be the first of four to be installed underwater, each with a capacity of 1.5 megawatts (MW), in the initial phase of the project. It is ironic that just before the UK Brexit vote in June the EU awarded just over €3.9 million (£3.1 m) to support further tidal energy testing and demonstration in Orkney waters.
What happens now? Now we are coming out of the EU the other 3 turbines may not get conservative government support, – more than a pity!
The future?
We can only hope that many of the projects in the planning and testing stage do get planning consent and government backing. Here are some examples of current projects:
It is often the consenting process that takes a long time and is hugely costly to the developers and their backers because of the potential impacts on marine mammals and wildlife, benthic ecology etc with all sites being located in sensitive marine habitats. In addition, the long term testing of new devices is extremely costly and requires consenting in its own right, like the one off Anglesey. The testing programme could run for 7 years before it becomes fully commercial!
Please sign this petition to lobby the UK government asking them help clean up our seas & countryside. Click below to sign:
Bring back bottle deposits to stop plastic pollution in our oceans.
BT have commenced a programme of removing some little used telephone boxes around the country and this will include our much beloved, but sadly neglected by BT, red telephone boxes. Sussex Heritage Trust have put out an appeal to communities and villages to try an save these iconic telephone boxes.
It may be possible to adopt an existing in-situ boxes from BT. Click on the image on the right to go to BT’s Adopt a Kiosk Guide 
Click below to find out more:
https://plus.google.com/+VicIent/posts/TQmbE3tVe46
I was a kid in the 1950s when rivers and streams were alive with frogs, newts and tiny fish. If you were growing up in the ’50s you may remember enjoying the wonderful variety of aquatic creatures! Sadly many such watercourses now have no living creatures in them! Why? It’s almost certainly due to fertilisers and insecticides which are now even attacking bees! Let us reverse this trend!
Great cycle ride to France this August! Here is my Facebook page with a summary of the route. Also, Click here to see my blog of the route and the place we saw and stayed at.
All our photos are here:
Vic Ient 