Conservative Middle East Council – The Haftar Lobby: A Register of Interests

The Haftar Lobby In March 2017, the Conservative Middle East Council published a report entitled ‘Inside Libya: Chaos in the Mediterranean‘. The report pushed for urgent ‘engagement’ with Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar, the self-appointed commander of the Libyan National Army who had spent the best part of 20 years semi-retired in Washington DC. The report was…

New Zealand Press Accounts of the Mutiny

Press in New Zealand had reported on the disturbances at Etaples as early as 1919, when on his retirement from active duty, Lieutenant Colonel George Mitchell boasted of the role he had played in quelling the riots and negotiating better conditions for troops. It was something of an overstatement to say the least, as it…

Aladdin Sane (30th Anniversary 2 Cd Collection) – David Bowie

In keeping with the 30th anniversary edition of the ‘Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars’ re-release earlier in the year, EMI dip their hands into their top-drawer material again and pull out another era defining classic. And with sleeve notes by David Buckley, previously unseen photos by Mick Rock, single sleeves and other memorabilia it…

Secret Terrorist Societies Unearthed – Lloyd’s News May 9th 1920

As Toplis made his getaway north, Lloyd’s Sunday News reported that Scotland Yard were making progress with their investigation into a number of alleged anarchist groups infiltrating the higher echelons of British civil society. Police believed a ‘special order’ had been given by the new Bolshevik leaders in Moscow to ‘foment unrest’ on British Soil…

Percy Toplis Hunt – Tomintoul Outrage

Aberdeen Daily Journal Saturday June 5th 1920 WILLIAMSON OR TOPLIS? PASSES THROUGH ABERDEEN The police are confident that the net is closing round the fugitive “Williamson”, “Toplis” or whatever his name may be. Public interest in the chase is keen, judging from the number and promptitude of the reports coming into the authorities. It has…

Widespread Search for the Tomintoul Fugitive

Aberdeen Journal Aberdeenshire, Scotland, June 4th 1920 Growing Belief He is Toplis. Aberdeenshire Minister’s Strange Story of a Lift No arrest has yet been made in connection with the Tomintoul shooting outrage, but the hue and cry has widely been circulated and the Police of Banffshire and Aberdeenshire are keeping a close watch on all…

Listen to the Colour of Your Dreams: the Death of George Martin

Fifth but by no means least … what a suitable ending. In some ways it seems entirely fitting that the death of Beatles producer, George Martin wasn’t accompanied by a burst of dramatic orchestration, a piccolo trumpet solo or a tumultuous crescendo of instruments followed by a dramatic final chord played on three different pianos….