Radstock during the 1817 strike when the riot act was read

The Annual Register, Or, A View of the History, Politics, and Literature for .the year 1817

Terraplanes cd compilation

Bad Detectives in 1978

40 years ago. Some studio shots by Ian Mackay of the Frome band. I was 17.

Tucker's Grave Inn to reopen

Save Tucker's Grave Newsletter 6/12/2017 

Dear Supporters of Tucker's Grave,

After a long wait we finally have some great news!

We have heard from the (soon to be) new landlady of Tucker's Grave - Sue Gait. She is taking over from Glenda and will be opening up on Tuesday the 12th of December. Read more

new terraplanes downloads

Here on Bandcamp for terraplanes demos/

Gigs in the West Country

 I have a fb group called Old Radstock and recently we were discussing gigs in the area who played where. Them with Van Morrison played Coleford British Legion as did Lulu and the Luvvers. Beatles played the Pavilion, Bath. John Lee Hooker played there too.

Brix & the Extricated at the Thekla Bristol

If you are an old Fall fan there is only one show in town these days the band made up of old stalwarts from the glory days of the Fall. We went as a family group - daughter Celia got at the front and took this photo and was given a pick by Brix for dancing. Sister Anne drove. The set was excellent - old Fall classics like New Prinz, Cruiser's Creek, Deadbeat Descendant - the years rolled away under the wheels of the Hanley brother's juggernaut-style rhythm section. Their own songs were good too - all in all a great package. Brix was a ball of energy and enthusiasm filling the old boat with warmth. A night out to remember.

Radstock's last tunnel

From Deviant art's Brutha Voodoo page

Somerset history

If you haven't bought my booklet now is a good time - post free from ebay.

1/35 WW2 Italians

This scale is pretty good for vehicles and a few sets of figures. 

Italian movie from 2002 El Alamein - La linea del fuoco,

It's up on Youtube but you have to pay. Or you could buy the DVD. Here;s the wiki

Perry Miniatures WW2 (desert) range

If you are thinking of 28mm Italians in the desert these figures by the Perrys are very appealing.

Battle! Charles Grant

These old school wargames rules for ww2 were published in book form in 1970. Copies of this book fetch high prices but fret not. They are available  in magazine form free to download here

Italian cavalry ww2 1/72

Waterloo 1815 do quite a lot of Italian subjects. These could double as Greeks.

Charge of the Italian Savoia Cavalleria at Izbushensky

There's a distinct lack of 10mm cavalry for WW2. Here's an action with Italian cavalry - Pendrad Pithead take note
"On 23 August 1942, the Savoia Cavalry Regiment, under Colonel Alessandro Bettoni was ordered to take Hill 213.5 in order to secure the right flank of the Sforzesca Division that had been forced to withdraw to new positions. The Italian cavalry reinforcements advanced on the night of 23/24 August, but the Savoia were soon under fire from two battalions from the Russian 812th Regiment that had just taken up positions overnight in preparations for further attacks. The Italian Commanding Officer, Colonel Bettoni Cazzago decided to counter-attack immediately the Russians in order to regain the initiative. With Captain Francesco De Leone leading the the 2nd Squadron forward shouting "Avanti Savoia!"., the Italian cavalrymen overran the 812th Regiment in a series of attacks lasting several hours." (http://world-war-2.wikia.com/wiki/Bat... Battle of Isbuscenskij)

World War 2 Greece

Fine webpage with lots of info

"Greek Uniforms - A group of Greek Re-enactors showing a variety of uniform details." Photo kindly supplied by permission from the Greek ΣΤΡΑΤΙΩΤ ΙΚΗΙΣΤΟΡΙΑ Magazine, 1998.

Pithead Miniatures

If I was wargaming the Greek-Italian war I think I'd use these.  10mm - do Greeks and Italians. Don't do Greek cavalry though.

Italian L3 35 tankette

Greek infantry in greatcoats

New Osprey of interest to me - Armies of the Greek-Italian War 1940–41

Men-at-Arms 514

• Author: Phoebus Athanassiou
• Illustrator: Peter Dennis

In October 1940 an Italian army some 200,000 strong invaded Greece across its largely undefended border with Albania. Although supported by Great Britain, at first by sea and in the air and later by landing British and ANZAC troops from North Africa, Greece bore the main brunt of the six-month war. Outclassed in materiel and outnumbered, LtGen Papagos's Greek army was so successful against the Italians in north-west Greece that, by 22 November 1940, it was advancing into Italian-held Albania. This would eventually force Hitler to send in German reinforcements to support his beleaguered Italian allies, delaying his invasion of the Soviet Union. Complete with contemporary photographs and full-colour uniform plates, this fascinating study explores the history, organization, and appearance of the armies of this oft forgotten conflict.
Below is an Italian propaganda film

Fats Domino

A legend has passed away. Loved him when I was a teenager. Will never see his like again

Invasion of Albania 1939

Vic Godard and the Subway Sect Thunderbolt Bristol

 Photos by Sue.

WIPZ - work in progress zine.

This is an exciting new print fanzine from local resident Joseph Simons. It's brimming with ideas that are from all over the zine spectrum, photography, art. satire and literature. There is a lot of exciting and talented pages to ponder and to enjoy. If you want to subscribe or contribute then info@josephsimons.co.uk

Red Hot & the Sans-Culottes - Frome 1984 recordings

Demo Susan and I (Animals & men/terraplanes) recorded with the Rockabilly trio Last Rats in Paris with Gavin Lusby on lead guitar and Tom Berryman on drums. Stand-up bass. I played harp and Susan sang. Download for free here

Pontiac Blues Sonny Boy Williamson II 1951

King Biscuit Time 1942 and 52

Silent footage. Max Moore, owner of Interstate Grocery in Helena, Arkansas, was the sponsor for radio station KFFA's "King Biscuit Time" program. We believe he shot this home movie circa 1942. In it, renowned blues musicians Robert 'Junior' Lockwood and Sonny Boy Williamson perform on the front porch of a small-town Arkansas grocery store. This is likely the earliest footage of these musicians performing together. The second portion of the clip is a 1952 tour featuring Williamson and his band. This film was preserved with a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation. Max Moore Home Movie Collection

Susan Wells by Neil Mitchard

When Sue was in the Terraplanes

Some postcard views of Radstock

John Mitchard's 1970 Election campaign in North Somerset

My Dad stood in his hometown of Radstock for the 70 GE. He didn't win but did very well. I can remember it vividly.

Radstock

Somerset Coal Canal

Interview with Johnny Thunders from December 1980's Zigzag

Subway Sect Zigzag no 83 - May 1978

The Fallen Leaves - 'punk rock for gentlemen'

The Fallen Leaves Bristol Thunderbolt May 4^th

I have always been a fan of the early Subway Sect. This goes back a long time when the single Nobody’s Scared came out and we saw them on the White Riot Tour and heard their Peel session. We were most disappointed when we saw them supporting the Buzzcocks and they had all been sacked apart from Vic Godard. The subsequent LP What’s the Matter Boy was critically lauded but I didn’t like it – it wasn’t the Subway Sect that I fell in love with. So when Dave offered us a lift to see the Fallen Leaves (Rob Symmons’  former guitar-slinger in the Subway Sect’s newish band) we jumped at the chance. We weren’t disappointed. The thrashy trebly guitar sound was there and it was great to behold in an intimate venue. He’s obviously influenced a whole raft of guitarists including me. He is a missing jigsaw piece of punk history. The whole band are good – they all work really well together. Check out the Fallen Leaves – they’re on Spotify and still gigging – a class act.

Frome's Pipe Shop

Nice to see some parts of Frome seem unchanged. And how would we know what sobrani cocktail were like otherwise?