On 12 June 1942, a solitary RAF hero flying a Beaufighter fighter-bomber struck a blow against Nazi pride and arrogance and gave hope to the oppressed people of occupied France. Dubbed “Operation Squabble”, this is the audacious story of Ken Gatward, the brave daredevil who flew that lone-wolf attack aircraft, and George Fern, his skilled […]

I had requested a camel train to take us across the Syrian Desert to Palmyra, the hometown of the legendary Queen Zenobia, whose ancestry is unclear. She may have been raised as the daughter of her brother, who had married the widow of her father, who was the brother of them both. Palmyra was an […]

This amazing story reveals enduring links with The Beatles, Sixties songwriter, Mitch Murray and 84,000 Isle of Man residents whose lifeline ferry service faced a Perfect Storm. by Terry Walker AS28082014 8 minute read from My Life, in Words The sea ferry company serving the tax haven Isle of Man is the oldest in the […]

Last outpost saves Jesus of Nazareth’s mother tongue. Aramaic was the language spoken at the time of Jesus and is still in the remote mountains of ancient Syria. It was the mother tongue of Jesus, his disciples, and most people who attended their gigs. It has survived wars and changing dynasties and remains the language […]

Every family history is unique and the brutal bar brawl detailed in this seaman’s story came after a month of fierce Atlantic gales that drove Tyne-based cargo boats hundreds of miles off-course, flying the signal “Not under command” because “we could just not steer”… by Bob Harrison AS8042024 8 minute read They were heading for […]

A fire revealed an ancestors’ long-held secret. There were surprising revelations when a family history researcher discovered the secret of Peterboat Inn, which her innkeeping ancestors owned. What they had been up to for 300 years at the River Thames fishing village was finally exposed in a 150-year-old official forensic report on the blaze recently […]