As the anniversary gets closer, one more of DP198 over Singapore.

Allan

It was a rhetorical question 😉

I was highlighting the way articles such as this start by leading you into thinking one thing but then trickle out the real facts later in the story which show how they exaggerate. But you’d spotted that hadn’t you?

The problem is that it is not just mothers who cannot cook meals from scratch. Amongst the young people I’ve met, those who cook nice food from raw ingredients are regarded as unusual. Fortunately they are held up for praise rather than ridicule but where will their children’s future lie?

Leave anything that is insured – so I’ll grab two things. My photo albums (my memories and some original aircraft pics) and a small box of things from World War II which also contains an envelope with three momentoes from my Grandfather’s service in World War I on destroyers. I never met him and it’s all I have.

Mind you this reminds me of the story of a museum director who was showing the local fire brigade round his museum. Fascinated by the many unique objects and manuscripts they asked him which was the single thing they should try to save if there was a fire.

He looked puzzled and replied: “The collection.”

In the interest of fairness however, I must stress I say ‘we all know‘ based on what are assumed to be the facts put before us.

Indeed. I would imagine her diet is better balanced than the article. As with anything in the tabloids, expect some exaggeration. It starts with this:

A 29-STONE mum who feeds her eight-month old triplets with McDonald’s has insisted she is bringing the tots up in the “best way she can”.

But later in the piece she says:

“They’re on the baby food jars and love the fish pie and cottage pie meals. But I see no harm in letting them have a few bits of my takeaways too.

So is she sitting them down with a Big Mac (as the opening wants us to believe) or is she just letting her kids try her food alongside their baby food?

I think she clearly needs help but she needs support and guidance – a bit of the nanny state that The Scum would be quick to condemn. Anyway, with the publicity, you can bet social services are already chatting to her.

It is a lovely find – well done.

I can’t be 100% confident about it being from a Short 184 although it does seem the most likely. There is some variation in the way serials are painted and the hypen in the number is unusual.

Some 184’s were painted with the straightforward serial – N1635

For the Short-built aircraft it was more typical to see a full stop: ie: N.1635

There was considerable variation. For instance, the Short Brothers’s applied their construction number underneath the serial while other manufacturers of the 184 did not. Sturtivant and Page (Royal Navy Serials 1911-1919 ) show a photo of N1631 without a full stop or hyphen and without a visible contructors number. The font style looks very similar to yours.

My photos are all on the other computer which is still packed so I’ll try and post some perhaps tomorrow.

Allan

It should have been properly sorted when Hong Kong was handed over, but contrary to what Old Shape says, I don’t think there’s enough votes in it, which is why it hasn’t been done.

A more morally sound policy is operated by the French where soldiers can apply for citizenship and any overseas soldier injured serving French forces has an automatic right to be a French Citizen.(http://www.legion-recrute.com/fr/faq.php#f4n see paragraph four, curiously this clause is not on the English translated page)

All strength to the campaigners. BBC News report here

Gosh, who would have thought that such an apparently minor point could cause such offence to the collective national pride.

It is interesting but does it really matter?

I wouldn’t play too much on the size argument either, after all, in its first two years the RAF’s main function was to become a lot smaller: Nov 1918, 204 active squadrons; Mar 1920, 29 active squadrons (C G Jefford, RAF Squadrons)

What I do find particularly curious is that the Finnish Air Force was created from scratch as an independent arm. Were there many other countries which followed this route or did the majority develop their air forces from the air arms of their armies and navies?

Has anybody anywhere seen anything at all to mark that it’s St. George’s Day ?

Large group of overweight middle aged men wearing T Shirts emblazoned with the St George’s Cross in true Crusader fashion wandering through Liverpool Airport at 7am. I thought there was a football match on somewhere for a few minutes.

Anyway, happy St George’s day to all residents of England, Aragon, Catalonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Russia Amersfoort, Beirut, Bteghrine, Cáceres Ferrara, Freiburg, Genoa, Ljubljana, Gozo, Pomorie, Qormi, Lod, and Moscow.