Last Updated on 3rd August 2018 The Belgian town of Ypres, now more generally and correctly known by its Flemish name, Ieper, is very close to Britain. Geographically, it is only about an hour and a half away – through…
London’s Lord Mayor’s Show
Last Updated on 3rd August 2018 What are you doing on the 2nd Saturday in November? If you want to experience a little pageantry – well, quite a lot, actually – get yourself up, down, over, across, or whatever, to…
For England and St George!
Last Updated on 3rd August 2018 St George is the patron saint of England and St George’s Day is on 23rd April. Every year. Curiously enough, 23rd April is also the day that William Shakespeare, who put the words “Cry…
Great Britain, Britain, or the United Kingdom?
Last Updated on 3rd August 2018 The page on A Bit About Britain entitled What does ‘Britain’ mean has been getting quite a few views lately. Whether that’s because there are people who foolishly want to try and understand our…
Anniversaries, 2017
Last Updated on 10th August 2019 Which anniversaries were marked in Britain in 2017? Have a quick scan through the eclectic list of events below, some of which may have slipped your mind; they were bound to have been on…
The Christmas Truce of 1914
Last Updated on 3rd August 2018 In the dying moments of 1914 and the opening days of 1915, remarkable stories began to circulate in Britain’s newspapers. The stories came from France and Belgium, where great armies were locked in mighty…
Christmas magic
Last Updated on 21st October 2019 Do you believe in Christmas magic? Some years ago, when my children were very small, I was dismayed to hear my son pipe up that little Johnny at school said that his dad had…
The custom and origins of Christmas crackers
Last Updated on 3rd August 2018 We take traditions for granted but, when you think about it, some of them are pretty odd. Amongst the more bizarre compulsory customs for a good Christmas in Britain are Christmas crackers – and…
A bit about Christmas cards
Last Updated on 3rd August 2018 Received wisdom is that it’s always good to get into a business that makes money on Christmas Day. And it could be argued that Christmas cards fall into that category. The Greeting Card Association…
National Service of Remembrance
Last Updated on 3rd August 2018 Amazing; moving; humbling; impressive: words you could choose to describe the annual National Service of Remembrance held in London on Remembrance Sunday, the second Sunday in November. Thousands attend every year; thousands watch it…
On Hallowe’en
Last Updated on 3rd August 2018 The local supermarket is pretending to be the props department for “Night of the Living Dead”. There are plastic skulls, axes, hairy hands, spiders, broomsticks, masks more gruesome than many of the weekend shoppers…
Anniversaries, 2016
Last Updated on 10th August 2019 What have William the Conqueror, Shakespeare, Peter Rabbit, the Big Friendly Giant, Bobby Moore and David Cameron all got in common? Answer: they were all associated with anniversaries in 2016. Of course, some anniversaries…