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John Pudney
John Sleigh Pudney (19 January 1909 – 10 November 1977) was a British poet, journalist and author. He was known especially for his popular poetry written during the Second World War, but he also wrote novels, short stories and children's fiction. His broad-ranging non-fiction, often commissioned, served as his primary source of income. Early life and career John Pudney was born at Langley Marish, the only son of Henry William Pudney, a farmer and countryman, and Mabel Sleigh Pudney. He was educated at Gresham's School, Holt, where he first encountered W. H. Auden, Benjamin Britten, and Humphrey Spender. He left school in 1925 at the age of sixteen, and spent several years working as an estate agent and studying to become a surveyor. However, he began contributing articles to the ''News Chronicle'' at the same time and also wrote short stories and channelled his love of the countryside into verse. At the time, he was one of a group of young writers, including Dylan Thomas, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAF St Eval
Royal Air Force St. Eval or RAF St. Eval was a Royal Air Force station for the RAF Coastal Command, southwest of Padstow in Cornwall, England, UK. St Eval's primary role was to provide anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the south west coast. Aircraft from the airfield were also used for photographic reconnaissance missions, meteorological flights, convoy patrols, air-sea rescue missions and protection of the airfield from the Luftwaffe. History The construction of the station The Royal Air Force's 1930s expansion plan included a requirement for a station to provide anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the South-west coast of England. The site at St Eval was chosen as a Coastal Command airfield and work started in 1938. Five widely dispersed cottages, two houses and portions of two farms were acquired by compulsory purchase; the village of St Eval was completely demolished in order to build the airfield. Levelling of the site by G Wallace Ltd involved the remo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Great Escape (book)
''The Great Escape'' is a 1950 book by Australian writer Paul Brickhill that provides an insider's account of the 1944 mass escape from the German prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III for British and Commonwealth airmen. As a prisoner in the camp, he participated in the escape plan but was debarred from the actual escape 'along with three or four others on grounds of claustrophobia'. The introduction to the book is written by George Harsh, an American POW at Stalag Luft III. This book was made into the 1963 film ''The Great Escape''. Summary The book covers the planning, execution and aftermath of what became known as ''The Great Escape''. Other escape attempts (such as the Wooden Horse) are mentioned as well as the postwar hunt for the Gestapo agents who murdered fifty of the escapees on Hitler's direct order. The book was published in 1950. Brickhill, a journalist before and after the war, had previously written the story four different ways, initially as a BBC talk, then ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Brickhill
Paul Chester Jerome Brickhill (20 December 191623 April 1991) was an Australian fighter pilot, prisoner of war, and author who wrote '' The Great Escape'', '' The Dam Busters'', and ''Reach for the Sky''. Early life Brickhill was born in Melbourne, Victoria to journalist George Russell Brickhill (1879–1965) and Izitella Victoria (née Bradshaw) Brickhill (1885-1966). He was the third son of the couple's five children, the others being Russell (1911–2002), Ayde Geoffrey (1914– ), Lloyd (1918–2011), and Clive (1923–2009). When Brickhill was 11 the family moved to Sydney, where he was educated at North Sydney Boys High School. A classmate, and friend, was actor Peter Finch. Brickhill left school in 1931 as his father had been made redundant as a result of the Depression. While his other brothers continued with their education it was necessary for Brickhill, who was regarded as the least academic of the children, to get a job to assist his older brother Russell in bringin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Douglas Relf
Douglas Rupert Relf (November 1907 - April 1970) was a British artist who became well known for his work for the British Railways Western Region, and for his illustrations and dust jackets for many children's books from multiple publishers in the 1950s and 1960s. Relf was born at Prittlewell, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, the son of a civil servant. He began his artistic career as a painter of landscapes, still life and portraits, working mostly in oils. He exhibited at the Royal Academy 14 times between 1935 and 1950. His work was also shown at the Royal Society of British Artists and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. He was a member of the Art Workers' Guild from 1946. Relf was living in south-east London in the 1930s, and married his wife Eironwy in Lewisham in 1935, exhibiting a small portrait of her at the Royal Academy exhibition. The couple then moved to Mill House, Hatfield Peverel, near Braintree in Essex, where he began painting local scenes and local people. He served i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Stolen Airliner
''The Stolen Airliner'' is a 1955 British Children's Film Foundation production, directed by Don Sharp and starring Fella Edmonds, Diana Day, and Michael Maguire. It was based on John Pudney's adventure story for boys, ''Thursday Adventure'' (1955). It was Don Sharp's debut film as director following his decision to abandon acting. According to Anthony Hayward the film "demonstrated his ability to keep the action fast-paced". Premise An international gang of revolutionaries hijack a plane which is being guarded by three young air cadets. The crooks are overpowered in midair, and the Royal Air Force eventually comes to the rescue. Cast * Fella Edmonds - Fred * Diana Day - Anne * Michael Maguire - John * Peter Dyneley - Uncle George * Nicola Braithwaite - Kitty * Ballard Berkeley - Mr. Head * Iris Russell - Mrs. Head * David King-Wood David King-Wood (12 September 1913 – 3 September 2003) was a British actor. He was born in Tehran, Iran (then Persia), the youngest of f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evans Brothers
Evans Brothers Ltd (or Evans Brothers Limited) was a British publishing house that was part of the Evans Publishing Group UK. The firm first published teacher training materials and in later years broadened its catalogue, publishing children's books and books on Africa. It became insolvent in September 2012 and ceased trading. History In 1903, the brothers Robert and Edward Evans founded the firm Evans Brothers which initially focused on the publication of teacher training journals and periodicals. In the early years the firm was headquartered at the brothers' residence at 118, Newgate Street, London, England. Early Evans Brothers publications included some of the foremost teacher training materials of the time, such as ''The Education News of Scotland'', ''Irish School Weekly'', ''Woman Teachers World'', ''The Word Master'', ''The Music Teacher'', ''Child Education'' and ''The School Mistress''. In the first year of operations, the company grossed 150 pounds. In the 1930s, Ev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
News Review
''News Review'' was a British news magazine, first published by Cosmopolitan Press in 1936. Its publishers, who also launched ''Cavalcade'' around the same time, envisaged ''News Review'' as a competitor to the U.S. ''Time'' magazine. It was later sold to Odhams Press. The headquarters was in London. The magazine ended its run by eventually being amalgamated into Odhams' ''Illustrated'' magazine in 1950. Writers for the ''News Review'' included Reg Freeson Reginald Yarnitz Freeson (24 February 1926 – 9 October 2006) was a British Labour politician. He was a Member of Parliament for 23 years, from 1964 to 1987, for Willesden East and later Brent East, with 14 years on the front bench. He be ... and a young Peter Dacre. References 1936 establishments in the United Kingdom 1950 disestablishments in the United Kingdom News magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 1936 Magazines disestablished in 1950 Defunct magazines published in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet in 1900 by Sir Arthur Pearson. Its sister paper, the ''Sunday Express'', was launched in 1918. In June 2022, it had an average daily circulation of 201,608. The paper rose to become the largest circulation newspaper in the world under Lord Beaverbrook, going from 2 million in the 1930s to 4 million in the 1940s. It was acquired by Richard Desmond's company Northern & Shell in 2000. Hugh Whittow was the editor from February 2011 until he retired in March 2018. In February 2018 Trinity Mirror acquired the ''Daily Express'', and other publishing assets of Northern & Shell, in a deal worth £126.7 million. To coincide with the purchase the Trinity Mirror group changed the name of the company to ''Reach''. Hugh Whittow resigned as edit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Ponsonby
Sir Charles Edward Ponsonby, 1st Baronet DL (2 September 1879 – 28 January 1976), was a British conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1935 to 1950. A member of the prominent Ponsonby family, he was the son of the Hon. Edwin Charles William Ponsonby, fifth son of Charles Ponsonby, 2nd Baron de Mauley, and Emily Dora Coope. He played cricket for Oxfordshire in the Minor Counties Championship from 1900 to 1903. Ponsonby was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Sevenoaks at the by-election there in 1935. He held the seat until the 1950 general election. He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden from 1941 to 1945. He was honorary Colonel of the Kent Yeomanry from 1942 to 1949. He gained the title of 1st Baronet Ponsonby of Wootton in 1956. Ponsonby married Hon. Winifred Marian Gibbs, daughter of Herbert Gibbs, 1st Baron Hunsdon Herbert Cokayne Gibbs, 1st Baron Hunsdon of Hunsdon (14 May 1854 – 22 May 193 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sevenoaks (UK Parliament Constituency)
Sevenoaks is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Laura Trott, a Conservative. History This constituency has existed since the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885. With the exception of the one-year Parliament in 1923, the constituency has to date been a Conservative stronghold. ;1885–1950 Sir Thomas Jewell Bennett before entering Parliament was a leader writer at ''The Standard'' and lived in India for many years, working at the ''Bombay Gazette'' before becoming both editor and principal proprietor of the ''Times of India''. Bennett returned to England in 1901 and in 1910 unsuccessfully contested his first Parliamentary election, losing to Alfred Gelder at the time of David Lloyd George and H. H. Asquith's celebrated "People's Budget". He represented the seat for five years from 1918. Higher in government in this period was Hilton Young, the Health Secretary between 1931 and 1935. The health portfolio at the time include ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of social democrats, democratic socialists and trade unionists. The Labour Party sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum. In all general elections since 1922, Labour has been either the governing party or the Official Opposition. There have been six Labour prime ministers and thirteen Labour ministries. The party holds the annual Labour Party Conference, at which party policy is formulated. The party was founded in 1900, having grown out of the trade union movement and socialist parties of the 19th century. It overtook the Liberal Party to become the main opposition to the Conservative Party in the early 1920s, forming two minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in the 1920s and early 1930s. Labour served in the wartime coalition of 1940–1945, after which Clement Attlee's Labour government established the National Health Service and expanded the welfa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
