Death Of An Officer. Frank Merlin 6. Best Crime Fiction Novel 2025, Bloody Barnes Crime Festival. ‘Must-read’ DailyMail⁩ ‘Immersive, authentic, evocative’ ⁦@FT ‘One of the most attractive characters to emerge in recent detective-thriller fiction’ Andrew Roberts historian

Wonderful programme about Philip Larkin from years ago. Would recognise the narrator’s beautiful voice anywhere (Paul Scofield).

Wow!

In the Cornish town of Launceston this morning. In 1943 the town was the scene of a shocking event. A brigade of black soldiers, fed up with the endless prejudice displayed by many of their white fellow-troops, opened fire on them. No one was killed but most of the black soldiers were prosecuted for mutiny and sent away for a long time.

At Mevagissey Harbour in Cornwall today.

Whatever your political views you have to concede this guy is very good at AI!

Sands of Iwo Jima. 1949. #ClassicFilmPosters

The Castle at Abergavenny. 1790. John Warwick Smith.

#OnThisDayInWW2 (25/9/42) 4 British Mosquito aircraft launched a raid on Oslo. (The Mosquito was a newly-developed aircraft.) The raid had been sanctioned by the Norwegian Government-in- Exile in London and its target was the Nazi Gestapo HQ in the centre of the city. The raid was intended to boost the morale of the Norwegian people. Unfortunately the raid failed. Bombs hit their target but caused minimal damage to the Gestapo building and there were civilian casualties. Three of the planes made it back but one crashed after being attacked by German aircraft and the crew was lost.

Billy Hill was the top gangster in WW2 London. Unsurprisingly he was not a fan of Frank Merlin. Other more favourable opinions on Merlin and his award-winning detective series include: @FinancialTimes - ‘Immersive, authentic, evocative’ @DailyMail - ‘Must read’ #KindleUnlimited

How much technique one needs to be able to simplify something this way. Look closely, and these carefully dressed people almost disappear. Even the huge flag above them is painted with loose streaks of red and white, helping create the feeling of wind and movement. Claude Monet painted Hôtel des Roches Noires, Trouville in 1870, during a stay on the Normandy coast. He captured what the scene felt like in a passing moment.

😂😂

😲

😁

London hustle and bustle in 1933.

A female air raid warden doing her rounds in London during WW2 in a tiny Rytecraft Scootacar. This later model had a 250cc Villiers engine, three-speed gearbox plus reverse, and could reach around 40 mph. Designed for road use by Jack Shillan, the Scootacar evolved from the idea of the electrically powered fairground ‘dodgem’ and was built between 1934 and 1940. #WW2 #London #VintageCars #1940s

No matter how many times I’ve watched this scene I always get the same extraordinarily powerful thrill of excitement as it unfolds. Unsurpassable. The Third Man - Lime's Introduction piped.video/jeJVNQ4ngfo?is=S20a… via @YouTube

Terrific. I think Ann Miller was very underrated.

As Gore Vidal said when informed of Truman Capote’s death ‘good career move’.

A great day out in Truro!

Did you know that the Scottish name Wallace derives from the Old French word ‘waleis’ which means ‘Welshman’? Nor did I until I met Scotsman Wallace (2nd picture below) at my Merlin talk to the @TregollsC book club today!