Bangkok – The First Installment
As promised a while ago, here is the first of Paul Hannah’s accounts of his trip to Europe to follow in the footsteps of an ordinary allied soldier in the second world war. Bangkok was as Bangkok always is, only more so. Hot, loud, and in your face politeness, from the Dutch girl who checked […]
Marginalia – An Underappreciated Art Form
A look at another side of how documents were enlivened in the Middle Ages. Paul Hannah briefly discusses an under-appreciated art from, the Marginalia. Medieval monasteries specialised in different occupations, some were hospitals and some just did various liturgical duties to pass the days. My favourite type of monks worked in scriptoriums where they made […]
How To Switch Sides In The Middle Of A Battle – Paul Hannah
Here is a short article on a risk of warfare that I for one have never given thought to.. How To Switch Sides In The Middle Of A Battle Switching sides in a war is a process fraught with danger. Running toward an enemy position with your hands up can be thought of as treasonous […]
McGyver’s Lucky Day – A Messy Naval Engagement.
A short but dramatic account by Paul Hannah of a very messy naval battle in the second world war, in which a young seaman demonstrated that good judgement is inherent, and not something that necessarily comes with age. Soldiers, sailors and airmen are usually known as great pragmatists, except in one respect, those of them […]
‘McRoberts’s Reply’ – A Tragic Story With A Twist
Our indomitable Paul Hannah who has supplied us with an ever growing number of small, but intriguing, historical snippets has come up with this small jewel of a story about a truly impressive woman – read on……. McRoberts’s Reply Lady Rachel Workman MacRobert (1884 -1954) , was indeed a woman to be reckoned with. In […]
A Tudor Murder? A Mystery Still……
Here we have Paul Hannah’s latest look at British history and some of its more unlikely mysteries. Read on and see what you think. Henry VIII’s daughter, Princess Elizabeth Tudor was 25 years old and under house arrest at Hatfield when she heard the news of her sister Mary’s death, an event that instantly […]
Fat Raymond Shows You Don’t Need Superior Forces To Win A War.
Here we have Paul Hannah again, this time he is discussing a battle that took place about 900 years ago, in which a military leader demonstrated a surprising skill. By the way, he was called “Fat”, but obviously wasn’t fat, so I assume his name has been mistranslated in the course of the centuries. Anyhow, […]
American Eagles in WWI
American Eagles in WWI By: Paul Hannah. American aviation in WWI was a pretty sorry affair. While the US Army Air Force had 280 aircraft in 1917 – none of them had ever had a machine gun fitted, none had dropped or even could drop a bomb – they didn’t even have cameras for photo […]
Exploring in the Library – By Paul Hannah
Here Paul Hannah, a well known local writer reflects on how we regard the exploration of both the huge and the minute universe. I was a terrible Law student, far too easily distracted, I’d go up to the top floor where the stacks are and just browse through the books. Sometimes it was the American […]
