by David West | Aug 4, 2023 | News
A recent post was about Cambridge, so I thought I’d redress the balance and revisit Oxford. Simon de Montfort died on the 4th August 1265. When I collected my MA degree at a ceremony in the Sheldonian Theatre, I had to swear several oaths in Latin. I recall that one...
by David West | Aug 2, 2023 | News
Francis Walsingham and I were born a few miles from each other. He was born near Chislehurst, and I went to Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School. He went to Cambridge and I went to Oxford. That’s where the similarity ends, except that he was the spymaster who...
by David West | Jul 31, 2023 | News
We are enjoying the new ITV spy drama, A Spy Among Friends. I recently read and reviewed the book, A Legacy of Spies, by John Le Carré. The author’s career with MI6 was ended by the treason of Kim Philby. I’d known about the Cambridge Four: Kim Philby, Donald MacLean,...
by David West | Jul 29, 2023 | News
“Brevity is the soul of wit.” Shakespeare wrote that line in Hamlet. Claire and I visited the National Portrait Gallery yesterday. This painting of Sir Adrien Carton de Wiart caught my attention. I think he was the inspiration for a severely battle scarred officer in...
by David West | Jul 25, 2023 | News
Charles the Bald, King of West Francia, promulgated the Edict of Pistres on 25th July 864. The edict sought to strengthen the realm’s resistance to Viking attacks. Charles established a cavalry for rapid response to Viking raids. He required all men with horses, or...
by David West | Jul 24, 2023 | News
I’m spoilt for choice today. The “on this day” website lists several historical events of interest. The trial of Mata Hari began in 1917. Hiram Bingham discovered Manchu Picchu in 1911. The long hated window tax was abolished in the UK in 1851, and in 1824 a...
