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Articles by Henry Elkins

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About Henry Elkins

A keen researcher of family ancestors, Henry will be reporting on the centenary of World War One. More Posts

World at War: the history lesson

At schools a history essay often set is whether history repeats itself. I always considered no, as we might learn from our mistakes, but now I’m not that sure. I have been revisiting the series World  at War. Made in 1973, produced by Jeremy Isaacs and narrated by Laurence Oliivier, it was [...]

July 12, 2016 // 0 Comments

Somme thoughts

My grandfather won his MC on the Somme in September 1916 and I spent yesterday, the occasion of the centenary of that Battle’s opening day (in terms of casualties the greatest catastrophe in British military history), in the company of my father. Mr grandfather – by then a Brigadier – was [...]

July 2, 2016 // 0 Comments

Dawn chorus

Yesterday I was pleased to join the Rusters’ outing to the Minerva at the Chichester Festival Theatre preceded by a very pleasant and lively lunch at Murray’s at the back of The Ship in North Street – especially since, when the expedition was first mooted, and ironically in view of my [...]

June 30, 2016 // 0 Comments

A memorable evening before the mast

Last night I was a guest at a charity auction banquet to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland held at the Mansion House in the City of London on behalf of the White Ensign Association and The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity. The dress code was given as ‘Black Tie (with [...]

June 10, 2016 // 0 Comments

WORLD AT WAR ( IN COLOUR)

On Saturday I had a sudden craving to watch The World At War as produced by Jeremy Isaacs and narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier. My efforts to download were frustrated and frustrating but I was directed to another version narrated by Robert Powell which I had never seen. It differed as there were no [...]

June 6, 2016 // 0 Comments

Coping with things

Over the Easter weekend, in a social setting, I found myself in a conversation with a lady of roughly my own vintage which touched upon the problems of ageing and dealing with elderly relatives. It all sprang from her inevitable enquiry as to how my surviving elderly parent was – a query [...]

March 29, 2016 // 0 Comments

A fitting prelude to the Six Nations Grand Slam decider

On Thursday this week (17th March), as part of the Rugby Football Union’s Great War Commemorations, the FRU and the French Rugby Federation – together with the Department for Culture Media and Sport, and the French Commission for the Centenary – organised a ceremony at the Tomb of The Unknown [...]

March 19, 2016 // 0 Comments

A moment in time

Yesterday morning I set off for two hours’ research in my local municipal library on my latest project. As I arrived I came upon a scene that could have been potentially disruptive to my cherished plan – on one side of the room one of the regular female members of staff was conducting a ‘show [...]

March 10, 2016 // 0 Comments

Nuremberg 70 years on

70 years ago the Nuremberg trial took place. To constitue a tribunal from the diverse legal systems of the 4 Allies – France, Russia, UK and USA – so quickly was a considerable achievement and it was sad it did not endure as an international court of justice . Winston Churchill in [...]

November 21, 2015 // 0 Comments

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