by David West | Apr 8, 2026 | News
On the 8th of April, 1954, South African Airways Flight 201 crashed into the sea killing 21 people. It was a de Havilland DH106 Comet. Regular readers will know my fascination with flight and flying machines. The de Havilland Comet holds a unique and poignant place in...
by David West | Apr 7, 2026 | News
On the 7th of April, 451, Attila the Hun captured Metz, slaughtered most of its inhabitants, and burnt the town. I’ve written about some bad dudes, Hitler and Mussolini to name but two, but Attila the Hun is the bad dude that all others are compared to. Attila the...
by David West | Apr 6, 2026 | News
On the 6th of April, 1652, Jan Van Riebeeck established a resupply camp at the Cape of Good Hope that eventually became Cape Town. During World War II my father’s troop ship put into Cape Town and the troops were billeted with local people for a few days. My father...
by David West | Apr 5, 2026 | News
On the 5th of April, 1974, Carrie, the first novel by Stephen King, was published for the first time with a print run of 30,000 copies. I have to confess that the only Stephen King books I have read so far are On Writing, which is brilliantly written, and supremely...
by David West | Apr 4, 2026 | News
On the 4th of April, 503BC, the Roman consul Agrippa Menenius Lanatus celebrated a triumph for a military victory over the Sabines. Agrippa Menenius Lanatus belongs to the half-legendary generation of early Roman leaders whose deeds sit on the border between history...
