It’s strange the way patterns emerge, if indeed that it was what they are. Sometimes, things just happen; a set of circumstances, coincidences even. But there are times when it does seem possible to look back on a string of … Continue reading →

It promised to be an emotion-charged day. And so it proved as Julie Wells fulfilled her own mission of remembrance by gifting all her father’s wartime correspondence to her mother to the nation. I was privileged to be invited to … Continue reading →

It’s been a while coming. Looking back on my correspondence I can trace the roots of my interest in Eric ‘Doc’ Harden VC to the mid-1990s. It was around that time I began contacting veterans of 45 Royal Marine Commando … Continue reading →

Research is, to steal a well-worn footballing analogy, a funny old game. One minute you’re sailing along, turning up fascinating material at every turn and the next you’ve come to a grinding halt that can prove terminal for your plans. … Continue reading →

It is an infamous episode that seems to be passing almost unnoticed. And yet no other single event during the second world war claimed more East Anglian lives or inflicted greater suffering. I refer to the beginning of work on … Continue reading →

Batu Pahat isn’t a place that features in too many tourist guidebooks. Indeed, mention it to most western travellers and the most likely response is a blank ‘never heard of it’ kind of expression. The same would have certainly been … Continue reading →

It wasn’t exactly a journey into the unknown, but it has certainly been a journey full of discovery. Our Malaysian odyssey was inspired, at least in part, by a desire to provide a greater understanding of the experiences and ordeals … Continue reading →

After months of anticipation, Malaysia and Borneo beckons. It’s hard to believe that in a few days’ time I shall be walking sites that I have spent years reading about and researching. For the best part of a week I … Continue reading →

The story of Norfolk’s ‘lost villages’ and the great War Office ‘land grab’ have long been a source of fascination. Several years ago, I interviewed a woman whose family was among those given their marching orders in July 1942. The … Continue reading →

The wonder of the internet never ceases to amaze me. When I embarked on my Norwich Blitz odyssey almost two years ago my head was filled with familiar images lifted from more than three decades of journalism. Most were stark, … Continue reading →