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The day a Lincoln bombed a Lancaster, and a Meteor shot a Meteor shooting a Lincoln

January 1, 2022

Argentina, and the day – Saturday the 17th of September 1955. It was the second day of the Revolución Libertadora: the Liberation Revolution in which Argentinian rebels, including sections of the military, rose up against the government of General Juan Domingo Perón. After several days of bloody fighting rebel forces overthrew those loyal to the … More The day a Lincoln bombed a Lancaster, and a Meteor shot a Meteor shooting a Lincoln

Ludworth Moor Colliery

December 13, 2021

A version of this article appeared in the May 2021 Marple Local History Society December 2021 News letter https://mailchi.mp/2f6f0f7ab6f5/marple-local-history-december-2021?e=8605a2f387. As a child Rod Thackray from Moor End Mellor was enthralled by stories told by his uncle Ivan Eccles abouts his exploits working at coal mines around Mellor after WW1. By the time Rod was a … More Ludworth Moor Colliery

Rod Thackray Paintings

November 13, 2021

Paintings and sketches by Mellor artist Rod Thackray Click on the image to see full size and use arrows to scroll through each section All are available to buy. For sizes, media, and price enquire using contact page. Ludworth Moor Colliery Mellor Other paintings and sketches Industrial New Mills Steam engines

Oldknow’s Seat

August 18, 2021

This article appeared in the May 2021 Marple Local History Society News letter. https://www.marplelocalhistorysociety.org.uk/our-local-heritage/594-oldknows-seat.html Oldknow’s Seat is locally the stuff of legend, but it’s not a myth – it does still exist. Many of us will have heard of it, it is marked on old maps and over the years lots of locals have had … More Oldknow’s Seat

Polish 2 Corps Uniform Identification

March 2, 2021

This blog is to accompany my blog Useful Resources for Polish 2 Corps information. Many thanks to Mark Ostrowski for all the hard work of collating the information and images of the insignia, and for indicating further information on Rank Insignia. RANK INSIGNIA The Polish rank of “Brigade General” (a one-star rank) was upgraded in … More Polish 2 Corps Uniform Identification

Hitching a ride on a Jetstream

October 14, 2020

In the early 1980’s I was a Masters Student at what was then Cranfield Institute of Technology. The campus was on the site of a former RAF airfield and I was studying Bio-Aeronautics with the International Centre for the Application of Pesticides (ICAP) attached to the College of Aeronautics. As part of the course we … More Hitching a ride on a Jetstream

Milk run over the Eder Dam

July 13, 2020

Whilst researching the Dambuster attack on the Eder Dam I came across an interesting snippet of history. It was told to me by my sister’s friend G.C. who was in the RAF in the early 50s. In 1952 G.C. was based in Germany at RAF Wahn which is now the modern day Cologne Bonn International … More Milk run over the Eder Dam

Polish 2nd Corps Cine films from the 1960s

May 19, 2020

A few years ago I bought several old cine films off eBay in a box that was labelled Monte Cassino. The seller said they had come from a house clearance and had no idea what was on them, but I bought them anyway. In order to view them I bought a reel-to-reel projector and the … More Polish 2nd Corps Cine films from the 1960s

MELLOR – A TALE OF THREE GOLF CLUBS

April 7, 2020

The beginnings of golf in Mellor occurred at a time of considerable changes. The coal mines and textile mills that had dominated the surrounding area had mostly closed down, and the village was evolving into more of a dormitory community where people lived and travelled to their places of work. It’s amid this changing environment … More MELLOR – A TALE OF THREE GOLF CLUBS

Mellor Church: Poems & Paintings

January 23, 2020

Mellor is a small village in the foothills of the Pennines about 10 miles south-east of Manchester. It’s now right on the very edge of the Derbyshire border but in Greater-Manchester. It was once in Cheshire and before that in Derbyshire. Mellor Church at dusk Sitting on the northern the edge of a ridge above … More Mellor Church: Poems & Paintings