What to believe (3)

Whilst proof reading the final draft for “What to believe (2)”, I had a flash of insight. “Any account of events written more than 40 years later is likely to contain errors. Dates can become mixed up. Events can be forgotten. Others can be, albeit unwittingly, exaggerated. Details become blurred.” Almost all accounts of historic…

What to believe (2)

In the first article titled “What to believe” I looked at the difficulty in verifying some of the facts of history. The claims made during the Battle of Britain were a useful vehicle for making the point. The theme began development somewhat earlier when I picked up a second-hand book. “Dambusters Away” written by Jack…

What to believe

What do you believe? I am not talking about whether the earth is flat, or if the moon is made of green cheese, or do fairies exist. (For reference, my answer to all three questions is a firm ‘no’.) I am concerned with versions of history. It is said that history is written by the…

VE Day: Patrick’s perspective

For most of the population of the UK, VE Day (May 8th 1945) was a cause for great celebration. I am not sure that Patrick viewed it in the same way. There are three reasons for this. In the early hours of June 2nd 1942, a Mk. IV Wellington bomber of 142 Squadron, RAF, crashed…