I've been thinking about trains a lot in the last couple of days. Not sure if it's because of the ongoing strikes and pay disputes or something deeper, but that, along with watching a TV programme last night on how train carriages and the driver's cabs are created, has put me in mind of the …
Category: British History
Imbolc – St Brigid’s Day
Today is 1st February and is the feast of St Brigid in the Christian calendar. It is the day that falls half way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, and is significant to both Christians and pagans. To pagans and Celtic Christians, today is known as Imbolc, which means "in the belly of …
May Day
I wrote this blog post on 1st May 2011 and thought it would be good to reblog it today. Happy May Day everyone! England – that glorious melting pot of history and culture – celebrates May Day today, 1st May. Related to the pagan festival of Beltaine, May Day is a celebration to mark the …
HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh RIP
HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, 1921 - 2021
St David’s Day
Image via Wikipedia I first posted this on 1st March 2011 and as it is a whole ten years ago I thought I would reblog it today. Happy St David's Day! St David’s Day is the feast day of the patron saint of Wales and falls on 1st March, believed to be the anniversary of …
On This Day in History – 9th September
On this day in history, 9th September 1914 saw the creation of the first fully mechanised unit in the British Army, the Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade. Here is a link to a recording of "Mechanised Infantry" which is the Regimental march of The Rifles (Light Division) in honour of the creation of the first …
Greater Manchester Police Museum
I have been promising myself a visit to the Greater Manchester Police Museum for some time now, and today I finally made it. It was a fascinating trip and well worth a go if you are into your history, or police history, or are just plain nosey about how our Mancunian ancestors broke the law …
The Journal of Phileas Fogg
My son will be taking part in his first ever brass band competition tomorrow, which is the North West Area Championships held in the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. It is an annual contest and other parts of the country will be playing their own "area" contest over the coming weeks. The section winners and runners …
The Immortal Memory
Today, 21st October 2015, marks the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar which was the most decisive battle in British Naval history. Sadly, it also marks the 210th anniversary of the death of our greatest Admiral, Lord Nelson. The battle itself was part of the Napoleonic wars, which raged in the early part of …
Rushcart Festival
I had a lovely time yesterday playing with the Littleborough Band at the annual Rushcart Festival. Yes, that's right, I had a lovely time PLAYING. I thoroughly enjoyed putting my musical head on for an hour or so and exercising my cornet blowing muscles for a change. The music was great fun to play and …
Mushy Cloud 