Spare a thought for poor Catherine Yale! Elihu Yale, Welsh nabob, East India Company merchant adventurer, collector, philanthropist – and slave trader – gave his name to one of the world’s most famous universities. His biography has been written many times, most notably by the American academic, explorer and politician Hiram Bingham. Bingham is … [Read more...] about Catherine Hynmers Yale
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It’s here! The Elihu Yale Story!
The story of Elihu Yale as you've never heard it before! It was a chance meeting. Our local Wrexham MP Ian Lucas asking me if I’d ever thought of writing a story about our local historical celebrity, Elihu Yale. Yale has a very fine and famous tomb in the grounds of St. Giles Parish Church and is taught to Wrexham school kids as the … [Read more...] about It’s here! The Elihu Yale Story!
Ten Minutes at Arnhem – Free Short Story
Ten Minutes at Arnhem Bloody suicide! Or so his co-pilot, Dickie Medhurst, had shouted at him. ‘We can make it,’ David smiled, though he wasn’t sure the old bus would hold up. The wings had more holes than a colander, and the starboard engine was coughing blood, spitting flames. But, as they lurched down, out of the mirky cloud, he gave … [Read more...] about Ten Minutes at Arnhem – Free Short Story
Favourite Reads – The Sellout by Paul Beatty
Black Satire at its Very Best! Opening sentence: This may be hard to believe, coming from a black man, but I’ve never stolen anything. The “sellout” of the title is the satirical novel’s black narrator, a man whose upbringing has been scarred by the pscychological experiments forced upon him by his father. And when their ghetto community, … [Read more...] about Favourite Reads – The Sellout by Paul Beatty
Spanish Civil War – Music of Republican Spain
The music of Republican Spain creeps into my Spanish Civil War novels quite often. In The Assassin's Mark, our main protagonist, Jack Telford, is introduced to the traditional Asturian mining song that became an anthem during the conflict, Santa Bárbara Bendita. It remains an anthem for Asturian miners in their struggles even today. Here's a … [Read more...] about Spanish Civil War – Music of Republican Spain