Search results for ""Brewin Books""

Born in 1943, Richard Pottinger grew up in and around the small rural villages near Cirencester, Gloucestershire. His engaging childhood reminiscences reveal the charm of living a simple country life within a small and friendly community, but also the instability experienced by many families due to the transient nature of employment for farm workers at that time. It meant a childhood spent moving from place to place with friendships gained and lost and a precarious existence which impacted upon the whole family. Each time his father uttered the words We're shiftin Richard, his mother and three brothers would all have to up sticks and move at short notice to where there was work with a tied cottage or accommodation – good or bad, they didn't know until they arrived!

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Beaten Paths are Safest - was the motto of The Reconnaissance Regiment. This book tells the story of the 61st Recce Regiment whose own official history was never completed for the period 23rd Feb 1944 to 1st October 1944. Roy Howard who compiled the book served with the Regiment through the period in question which saw 61st Recce land on "Gold Beach" on D-Day followed by continuous active service up to and including the German Ardennes offensive when the 50th Northumbrian Division, of which the Regiment was a part, disbanded. Roy's book consists of personal memoirs of events together with a considerable amount of material from The Old Comrades Association newsletter. Sadly, the author died in 1996 but the book has been completed by his son Mark, as a tribute to his father and all the members of the 61st Reconnaissance Regiment.

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At the end of the 2016 Speedway season, the Coventry Bees Speedway team ceased racing due to their stadium at Brandon being purchased for housing development. Although it sent shockwaves through the Speedway world it didn't come as a complete surprise, as rumours about its future had been circulating for two years or so. Tony Watson is a keen supporter of Speedway Racing and the Bees in particular. In this book he sets out all of the final season's racing results, its team members, the guest riders used and the scoring statistics of the riders. He also touches on the attempts to keep the team's name alive by 'track sharing' at nearby Leicester, a venture which did not succeed. A must read for any Speedway follower

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Hill & Smith, a stalwart of the UK's West Midlands industrial scene, is today a leading provider of sustainable infrastructure products and services to a wide range of sectors in multiple international markets. This short history traces its 200-year journey, starting in 1824 as a family-owned ironworks in the heart of the Black Country, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. It continues through the highs and lows of the 20th century with two World Wars, a listing on the London Stock Exchange, the stark impact of the UK steel industry's decline, and latterly diversification through a series of acquisitions. Finally, it describes the business's 21st century transformation into a major international group, still based in the West Midlands but employing almost 4,500 people worldwide and valued at close to GBP1.5bn. The book looks at the events that have shaped Hill & Smith's story, the enduring qualities and values that have underpinned its success, and the key people that have made

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Knitted Swimming Trunks is an honest, painful, but ultimately hopeful portrayal of an ordinary boy living an ordinary life. After a traumatic birth, Andy takes us through the 1950s and 1960s, from his schooldays to teenage antics. With humour and a good heart, Andy describes the travails of growing up on a council estate as he managed to acquire all sorts of strange ailments including; nits, croup, alopecia and a bad stammer – all of which made him an easy target for the bullies. Describing with sincerity and frankness the difficulties of 'growing up, Andy opens up not only about the hardships but also about the laughter he shared with friends and family – all experiences that have shaped him into the man he has become. A nostalgic read, this memoir is both poignant and life affirming. There are plenty of tears but also enough laugh out loud moments to make this an uplifting and true-to-life tale of growing up.

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Many towns and cities expanded and went through continuous redevelopment during the 19th and 20th centuries, and Wolverhampton was one of these, losing a lot of historic buildings. Fortunately, at the end of the 1970s, Wolverhampton Council stepped in to rescue and restore two town centre timber-framed buildings, bringing them back into use, to remind people of what was commonplace in earlier times. The stories of these two buildings are told in this book, along with the background story of the writer who, as a Council surveyor, was happy to play his part in the rescue, and who is pleased to see them both continuing to play their important part in the life of Wolverhampton.

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Tony Aston was born in 1953 in Redditch, Worcestershire and grew up there until he was sixteen years old. In this book Tony explores his memories of ordinary day-to-day life when the town, like hundreds of other towns and cities at that time, was striving to repair and re-invent itself after World War II. Tony recalls the demolition of the old town and the building of the new as well as his personal memories of Christmas, food and drink, the big freeze of 1962/63, incidents and accidents, special people in his life, radio and television, all intertwined with significant national and international events. Tony is a former Scotland Yard detective and counter-espionage specialist within the UK Defence Industry and in this, his first book, he has triumphed in weaving a narrative that will make readers both laugh and cry whilst rekindling their own memories.

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When Tommy Shelby, Steve Knight's principal character in The Peaky Blinders, first rode onto our television screen, viewers were presented with a battle-scarred, but still relatively young veteran, from the Great War. Meanwhile, in the neighbouring, real-life streets of Balsall Heath and Sparkhill, the Wareing family of eight children (and a musicallygifted mother, Lilian) struggled to cope with their invalid father's return to 65 Brunswick Road, fresh from the hell-hole of Gallipoli. Harry Senior, the author's grandfather, having contracted meningitis, returned home as a self centred, ruthless stranger. With a Good Old Days MC introduction, by Comedian, Entertainer and Papal Knight, Don Maclean, it features 12 of the author's newly composed songs. A Power Point display runs throughout, linked by five Edward Elgar compositions – the composer and Shirley's maternal Great Grandfather, Eustace Baylis, having been schoolboy friends. Introductory pages are followed by the main script, interspersed with song scores. All scenes are slide-illustrated, to correspond with the Power Point Disc (included). Music for the show's five 'a cappella' songs is in the Appendices. Add a diverse range of characters, plus shades of Oliver Twist, and we have an exciting new musical – just ripe for performance!

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An epic flight into shattered Sarajevo. A stand-off with Miss Piggy. A world scoop as the Cold War ends. A seal hunt at the North Pole - and why you should never trust cats. It's all here in Bloody Adjectives, as Peter Rhodes, former chief feature writer with England's biggest evening newspaper, the Express & Star at Wolverhampton, looks back on half a century in journalism and recalls some great assignments, from royal weddings to wars, natural disasters, death knocks and the sillier side of life. Rhodes mixed with princes and paupers, legendary actors and leading politicians and military heroes. He chronicled some of the greatest events of our age and now shares a host of memories and some award-winning dispatches. En route he encounters a pink poodle, a fried frog, a wounded Home Secretary and the End of Empire. And he also lifts the lid on Princess Anne's fairy grotto loo.

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A History of Webheath begins with its origins in around 1250 and includes its time within the Forest of Feckenham. The boundaries of the parish, which have been altered over the years, once covered a far greater area, extending down through Upper Bentley, across Crumpfields to Heathfield Road. Following Birchfield Road to Headless Cross and back along the other side of the road, the area also comprised Tack Farm, the outskirts of Hewell Grange and up to Tardebigge Church. The book charts Webheath’s evolvement from a sleepy, rural agricultural village to the present day thriving community now encompassed within the town of Redditch in Worcestershire. With maps and photographs it contains much information on local landmarks, place names, farms and houses, major local landowners and notable residents.

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BEATLE haircut, one set of smart clothes to his name… and with a rock 'n' roll attitude hewn out of five resentful years at a boys' grammar school. This was the 16-year-old John Phillpott who, in that long-lost summer of 1965, started out on a life-long career in Midlands journalism. It was the era when a young trainee reporter could be sent to a fatal road accident one moment and ordered to make the tea for the entire editorial staff the next. These were the days when a young journalist might cover a budgerigar show on a Saturday afternoon and a few hours later interview Ray Davies of the chart-topping Kinks. Yes, it's all there in Go and Make the Tea, Boy! The reprobates, drunks and various other paid-up members of life's Awkward Squad all splash across these pages in glorious technicolor, as this no-holds-barred narrative of life on a provincial newspaper back in the Swinging Sixties gets into gear.

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This first novel by Emilia Williams is a sweeping family saga of life in the working class community of the Birmingham back to backs. Set between the 1920s and the 1960s, the story of the Holtes and Hatfields of Aston and Lozells, and their friends and neighbours, is seen through the eyes of Ada, the family matriarch, Lily, her fiery shop steward daughter, and Grace and Susannah, her granddaughters. The narrative encompasses the social life, politics and fashions of the 1960s and also the winds of change that are coming - as the characters prepare to leave the back to backs, which are to be demolished, as is the entire area - houses, pubs, shops, schools, cinemas and markets - as the 1970s are about to begin. Everyone is looking forward to a brighter future, but with some regrets for leaving the old world behind and the breaking up of a tightly knit working class community.

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Alex loves cricket! When Chance to Shine coaches come into school, Alex hopes his friends will discover a love of cricket too. Things don't work out quite how Alex had planned; but with the help of his teacher, Alex is determined not to give up.

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This book relates the history of Rotton Park Lodge and the surrounding area of Birmingham. Margery Elliott provides a detailed account of the Lodge and gardens and its environs including the former farm, Edgbaston Reservoir and Perrott's Folly. She includes biographies of people associated with the Lodge and their families, several played a significant role in Birmingham's history. The author's grandfather, James Richard Turner, was a builder and prominent City Councillor who lived in the Lodge from 1903 to 1933. Her father, Edwin Elliott, was founder and managing director of E. Elliott Ltd, manufacturers of injection-moulded plastic goods. The book incorporates numerous photographs and reproductions of old maps and documents. It offers a fascinating insight into the social history of Britain's second city.

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Gill Mansell (nee Hewitt) was born in 1949 and brought up in the Lozells area of Birmingham, her large family had lived in the area for several generations and it was her happy playground whilst growing up. This book is the story of Gill, her parents and grandparents who led ordinary lives but were extraordinary people, living through hard times at the beginning of the 20th century, just carrying on and dealing with whatever life threw their way. Gill's family reminiscences and the history of Lozells are very much intertwined and record, for future generations, tales about the 'old days' with humour, sadness and all the other emotions which made up the rich tapestry of family life in Lozells.

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Birmingham's streets, roads and lanes are an absorbing aspect of our history. They call out to us about long dead landowners, notable figures from the history of England, Brummies long forgotten, farms that have been swept away by the outpouring of our city, remarkable physical features, distant battles, intriguing foreign places and mysterious happenings. Questions as to their origins leap out from a multitude of Birmingham's street names. Why was Fawdry Street first called Noah's Ark Passage? Was treasure to be found in Golden Hillock Road? How did Foulemoreslone become Formans Road? Did Gate Street have a gate? What has Franchise Street got to do with the battle for working-class rights? Where was The Froggery? What connection is there between creatures of mythology and Hob Moor Road? And why should the Holte, Gooch and Gough families have so many streets and roads named after them? In this deeply researched book, Carl Chinn looks at scores of street names, bringing to life their meaning and those people who belonged to them.

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It is a thrill to have written a local history book in conjunction with the Express and Star. The paper is not only the biggest-selling evening newspaper in the country outside London, but also it is marked out by its commitment to its region and the people of that region. There can be few papers that are as local as the Express and Star and that commitment to localness affects positively every aspect of its reporting and coverage. The Black Country is fortunate to have a paper so dedicated to the well being of Black Country folk. I thank the editor of the Express and Star, Adrian Faber, and its management for giving me the opportunity to write so extensively about the Black Country.

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Jude and Di, creators of award winning potty training product, Dry Like Me, bring all their experience and expertise together in this essential toolkit for potty training. This book is the definitive potty training guide, uniquely aimed at both parents and children. How to Potty Train offers parents helpful advice, tips and resources to guide them through each stage of potty training, from identifying the signs that their child is ready to begin training, through to the final stage of night time potty training. The colourful 'read together' sections help introduce potty training to young children in a fun way with beautiful illustrations to capture their attention and motivate them to make the leap into grown up pants. How to Potty Train makes potty training simple and enjoyable for parents and children and promotes success at this key milestone.

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Three gallant young men set off on a quest to uncover the identity of a traitor behind a deadly explosion, unlocking a secret that sparked a civil war and another that ultimately ended it. Lord Henry Morton, Sir Arlen Barlett and Kian Munro are fiercely loyal to the Crown and each other. Their quest takes them halfway across Mercia following a dangerous trail of murder, deception, longlost secrets, love, and betrayal, entwined with their own personal journey of unequivocal friendship and discovery.Set in a fictional, medievalesque world the men relentlessly race

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Maggie Payne's third book Buntings – Tales from the Till is a delightful recollection of memories from 30 years of service at the well-established and popular family shop, Buntings – the High Class Grocer and Delicatessen, in Alcester, Warwickshire. Working alongside colourful characters and serving customers from all walks of life – the rich, the poor, the young and the old – Maggie discloses to the reader what really goes on behind the till. Through both amusing and poignant anecdotes, the author illustrates everyday life in a busy family shop of a bustling town. Maggie reveals how working alongside the Bunting family, in the hub of the community, has shaped her into the person she is today.

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Faire and Goodly Built is the fascinating and thoughtprovoking story of the collegiate church of St. Mary, Warwick, until its rebuilding after the Great Fire of 1694. Author Tim Clark discusses the many influences on how the church looks today and what makes St. Mary's unique. He also considers the church's relationship with the earldom of Warwick, the town, and the townspeople, and in doing so introduces us to some memorable characters. The thoroughly researched text is enhanced by 77 illlustrations, most in colour.

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Brick building came to the Midlands in the 15th century when its adoption reflected its prestige amongst the aristocracy and episcopacy. This study explores its wider acceptance and diffusion and describes the pattern and volume of a locally distinctive material. By 1780 its practical advantages saw its use in churches, chapels, gardens, estate buildings and early industrial factories. As 'hard' brick it was a significant factor in the development of industrial kilns. Based on documentary sources the text examines such factors as the technology of brickmaking, the price of bricks, building costs, the availability of other materials, the impact of fire and the social value attached to brick. It particularly emphasises the visual impact of brick on the landscape, for example in 1789 Lord Torrington recorded that 'At Grantham they leave of the stone and build with flaming red brick of which Newark is built and looks like a new town.'

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Over ninety public houses and hotels are featured in this book. There is a brief overview of each one, giving type of inn and the fare on offer. Every inn has a story to tell. Some were patronised by royalty, others were smugglers dens or the local 'pick-up joint'! Some were caught up in the civil wars of the 1600s, others were a venue for an illicit romance. A few have even been involved in a murder. Above all, in every one of these hostelries, at one time or another, a ghost has made its presence felt.

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Deep in the beautiful Worcestershire countryside lie a number of secret places that played a special part in protecting a generation from the onslaught of a world war. Travellers passing through leafy Worcestershire lanes may catch a glimpse of a structure that seems out of place against the backdrop of fields and hills – the dish of a gigantic radio telescope. How did such an incongruous structure arrive in the middle of nowhere, and what does it do? This book answers the question, and recounts the dramatic history of two 'Top Secret' wartime airfields, and how their activities were inextricably linked to the 'boffins' of the Malvern Telecommunications Research Establishment. It tells the story of brilliant inventions, wartime courage and sacrifice, tragic air crashes, and ordinary and extraordinary people, pushing themselves and their machines to the limit and beyond. Crafted using personal recollections – the book reveals the truly extraordinary wartime commitment and camaraderie that fuelled extraordinary endeavour and achievement.

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In 1813 George Walton joined the Rifle Brigade at a recruiting party outside St Philip's Church in Birmingham and subsequently kept a journal of his daily life throughout the years of his army service until 1839 when he retired. George's narrative gives us a fascinating ism insight into the life of an ordinary soldier of that time as he served on the front line before becoming a schoolmaster sergeant, travelling all over the UK and Ireland. What is particularly remarkable is George's eyewitness description of the Battle of Waterloo from the perspective of a soldier involved in the fighting who lived to tell the tale! Later chapters explain what became of George after his military service, including the astonishing matrimonial scandal in which he was the injured party. With British armed forces, including George's beloved Rifles, still putting their lives at risk on active service, George's family feel that he would be happy that this record of his experiences could in a small way help today's servicemen and women. Therefore royalties from this, publication will be donated to charities and organisations which support our armed forces.

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Lizzie Baty, the Brampton Witch (1729-1817), lived close to the village of Brampton in Cumbria and was said to be a 'canny auld body'. A wise woman, she achieved great notoriety in her day. Numerous tales and anecdotes have been handed down over the years relating to Lizzie's 'second-sight', witchcraft and the strange powers that she appeared to possess. They tell of spells, curses and prophecies with Lizzie turning into a hare, her knack of finding lost objects, forecasting marriages as well as strange happenings at her funeral. This book serves to collect together these varying accounts and attempts to establish which are fact and which might be fiction. Whatever conclusion the reader may reach, the Brampton Witch stories, whether real or imagined, are part of Brampton's heritage and deserve to be preserved.

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"The Friendly Invasion of Leominster" relates the activities of a number of American units based in Leominster during World War II. During its history the Herefordshire market town had been no stranger to invasions from across the Welsh border, but in 1943 it was to encounter an incursion of another type. The invasion of U.S. soldiers was a friendly one, although not all of Leominster's residents recognised it as such at the time. On the outskirts of Leominster, Barons Cross became home to the doctors and nurses of the 76th and 135th U.S. Army General Hospitals and patients from the hostilities on the Continent. In the build up to D. Day, American units occupied camps in the grounds of Berrington Hall and in the town. Some of these units, such as the 5th Ranger Battalion and the 90th Infantry Division were to play a major part in the D. Day landings. Others, such as the 7th Armored Division and the 736th Field Artillery Battalion landed after D. Day and took part in the liberation of France. This book describes each unit's time in Leominster, using eyewitness accounts and photographs, and then follows the unit across the English Channel and through Europe.

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Birmingham Accident Hospital, fondly known as The Acci, was established to manage the victims of the Birmingham Blitz, enemy action overseas and those injured in the Midland's factories. This book tells the story of its role during the War and how, in the years that followed, it became world-renowned for excellence in the management of the victims of trauma. Staff at The Acci played a major role in almost every clinical advance from the introduction of antibiotics to the establishment of trauma critical care. Although the hospital closed in 1993, relocated first to Selly Oak Hospital and then to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, its staff went on to play a key role in the management of the victims of trauma during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, once again at the cutting edge of clinical practice. The legacy and the legend of the Birmingham Accident Hospital live on.

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Faire and Goodly Built is the fascinating and thoughtprovoking story of the collegiate church of St. Mary, Warwick, until its rebuilding after the Great Fire of 1694. Author Tim Clark discusses the many influences on how the church looks today and what makes St. Mary's unique. He also considers the church's relationship with the earldom of Warwick, the town, and the townspeople, and in doing so introduces us to some memorable characters. The thoroughly researched text is enhanced by 77 illlustrations, most in colour.

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Robert Schumann and Clara Wieck were drawn to each other the moment they met, but there were obstacles in the way. Clara was ten years younger and her domineering father, Friedrich Wieck, Robert's piano teacher, was against their relationship as it developed over the years. He saw Robert as a dissolute womaniser, and he saw his own reflected glory disappearing if Clara's career prospects as a pianist diminished. But the couple did marry, with help from the judiciary, and had a happy life together, so happy that their increasing number of children did indeed hamper Clara's performing opportunities. Then a young composer, Johannes Brahms, came into their household as a disciple of Schumann and nothing would ever be the same again. About The Author Christopher Morley is Chief Music Critic of the Birmingham Post, and contributes to several international magazines. Schumann has always been very special to him, and a visit to the asylum in which the composer died made a huge impression upon him.

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Maxwell Armfield and Constance Smedley were an unorthodox couple who deserve more attention. Both were accomplished in many of the arts, but Max's focus was on painting, whilst Connie's was on writing. In Tessa West's delightful A Pageant Truly Play'd the separate and jointly lived lives of these creative and resourceful individuals are told. They studied at the Birmingham School of Art in the late 1900s, but did not come across each other until some years later. By then Connie, despite a disability from childhood, had created an artistic life. Her founding of the Lyceum Club – the first women-only London club – was her landmark achievement. The Armfields married in 1911 and moved out of London where Max combined caring for Connie with his painting. Their involvement in a local fete cemented their enjoyment of the Cotswolds. However, they also spent seven years in the US where all their endeavours – from embroidery to teaching drama and to exhibitions – attracted interest and praise.

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Bangkok, Thailand, 1969. Young British lawyer Matt Benson has his first case. He's a long way from home, it's hot and he finds himself facing the might of the American military justice system in a court martial the Pentagon is determined to win. His client is US Army veteran Sgt Al Moreau, accused of selling off military vehicles destined for troops in Vietnam. Matt has to catch up fast with US Army law. His tough client won't make life easy. Nor will his new apartment above a seedy Go-Go Bar or a love affair with a US Army nurse who's hiding a dangerous secret. Al is depending on him. Matt can't let him down. He forms a bond that's hard to break in a case that will stay with him forever. Based on the adventures of David Hallmark, OBE, the only English lawyer to appear in a US court martial during the Vietnam war.

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U.S. Army Hospital Center 804’ tells the story of five U.S. Army hospitals located on the Shropshire/Flintshire border during World War II: Llanerch Panna, Penley, Iscoyd Park, Oteley Deer Park and Halston Hall. They were built by British contractors during 1942-44 and used by American hospital units until the end of the war in Europe. When the American units left the area some of the hospital sites were used by displaced Poles. For a few months at the end of 1944/beginning of 1945 the hospital at Iscoyd Park treated German Prisoners of War. The headquarters of the 5 hospitals - Hospital Center 804 was first located in Gwemheylod (Flintshire) and later moved to Whitchurch (Shropshire). U.S. ARMY HOSPITAL CENTER 804 An AawMolltis U& Military Hospitals in lb. This book looks at the day to day activities at the hospitals using archive material and accounts and previously unpublished photos from those who were there at the time and their relatives. It also looks in depth at the stories of some of the patient-soldiers who passed through the hospitals. It touches on the impact the occupants of the camps and other U.S. camps in the area, had on the surrounding towns, with particular regard to Wrexham in Flintshire.

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No satisfactory explanation has been given for the burial of a large Saxon gold hoard found in Hammerwich, Staffordshire in 2009. Speculation on who buried the treasure has led to many ideas based on battles, warriors and plundering kings. An alternative vision is given with greater emphasis placed on the religious items, the early church at Lichfield and the amassing of artwork in religious houses from the seventh century onwards. The Christian pieces are explained in new ways and the gold is discussed from the point of view of a Churl, Monk, Bishop, Warrior and King. An argument is presented based on available evidence to suggest why the hoard was buried and who possibly might have buried the precious items in despair. Archaeology, local history, Saxon beliefs and historical events are brought together to give a new way of seeing the Staffordshire Hoard.

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"This Is More Than I Can Stand" is a detailed biography of Charlie Hall, a little known man from Birmingham who worked with some of the biggest stars of the silver screen. Charlie was born into a working class family in the Ward End district of Birmingham, in 1899. In 1920 he left England to start a new life in New York. Incredibly, within a few years he had moved to Hollywood, and was appearing in films with some of the greatest silent comedy stars of all time. How did this come about? And why did Charlie find himself working back in a factory in Birmingham in 1938? These and many other questions will be answered in this new book about the life of Charlie Hall. The book contains interviews with family and friends who knew him and remember meeting him when he returned to Birmingham in the late '30s. Plus some of Charlie's personal letters, written at this time, giving a unique insight into his thoughts, his memories and what it was like to work with Laurel and Hardy. From humble beginnings, Charlie experienced the early movie industry, the birth of the talkies, and the advent of television. Not bad for a lad from Ward End.

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The letters of a young doctor who was sent to a remote hospital in Bangladesh in the years following its war of independence. They describe the day-to-day life of the hospital, its ups and downs, its triumphs and disasters. Through these challenging circumstances, he discovers a new experience of the presence of God.

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This inspirational book is Pat Roach's final goodbye to the world, before his tragic death. The 'Gentle Giant' battled with cancer for six-and-a-half years, before it eventually claimed him, in the small hours of Saturday 17 July, 2004. His confidante and biographer, Shirley Thompson, has combined Pat's final experiences and thoughts, with over seventy tributes from close family and friends, to produce a fascinating book. Pat's widow, Doreen, step-brother Pete Meakin, and a host of celebrities, including Kevin Whately, Chris Fairbank, Julia Tobin, Noel Clarke, Jimmy Nail and Timothy Spall, all feature prominently. Tim Healy, who was a particularly close friend, has written an entire chapter, scriptwriters Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais provide an insightful Foreword. Pat's wish that this last book should convey a message of hope to fellow cancer patients, whilst also providing a measure of funding for the Cancer BACUP charity, will be realised, as the book is launched. His courage, combined with the warmth and affection that he frequently inspired in others, shines throughout. But be prepared for a few unexpected surprises, including a chapter that could only be published posthumously! Two galleries, containing over a hundred unique photographs, provide the crowning glory to this truly memorable book...the third and final biography in the "Pat Roach Trilogy."

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'They Also Serve Who Stand And Wait' tells the story of the U.S. Replacement Depot at Pheasey Farms Estate in Great Barr, Birmingham during World War II. Part of the half-built housing estate was requisitioned by the British forces at the outbreak of the war and in 1942 the first group of American soldiers moved in. The book is a fascinating insight into the day to day activity on the base, with many moving accounts from those involved, and also deals with the impact that the American soldiers had on the surrounding area of Walsall and Birmingham.

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No.13 Herbert Road is an engaging autobiographical account of a young boy growing up in the back streets of Small Heath in Birmingham during the 1940s. Through fond recollections and amusing anecdotes, the reader is transported back to the often hard times experienced by many of the working classes in post-war Britain. It was an era of queuing in the exceptionally cruel winters of the 40s for rationed food and fuel, having shoes with holes in and making clandestine visits to the pawn broker. From the perspective of a child it was also a time of freedom and adventure, of playing on the Birmingham bombsites, go-carting, street parties and the joy and laughter that close friends and Family bring. With youthful excitement at glimpsing Winston Churchill and even more thrilling for a boy at that time Roy Rogers with Trigger, these are stories of a long-gone Birmingham to be treasured by all generations.

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Fort Dunlop, in the Erdington district of Birmingham, was the original tyre factory and main office of Dunlop Rubber which for many years was the jewel in the crown of the Dunlop empire. 'The Fort', as it was affectionately known locally, was built in 1916 and by 1954 the entire factory area employed 10,000 workers. At one time it was one of the largest factories in the world and employed a significant proportion of the local population, often whole families worked there. Gradually foreign imports led to Fort Dunlop's demise, large scale tyre production ceased and the factory finally closed in 2014 with production moved to Germany and France. This book, compiled by a former employee, is a look back at the history of Fort Dunlop through the recollections and memories of many other members of its workforce. What emerges is a very family orientated company which played a huge part in the lives of many people who worked there or lived nearby. The building itself still remains as an iconic landmark and reminder of 'The Fort' in its heyday.

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Jim Simpson of Big Bear Records has been involved in the music business for nearly 60 years, as musician, bandleader, promoter, record producer, festival director, manager, journalist and photographer. In his candid, constantly surprising, frequently amusing and occasionally shocking account you will encounter the joys and difficulties of managing Black Sabbath or of running a jazz festival in sun-kissed, crime-ridden Marbella. At home in Birmingham meet some of the characters who have enlivened 35 years of the Jazz Festival and read Jim's take on the scandals that closed the city’s premier jazz club. Revisit the exciting Brum Beat scene, take to the road with some 40 of the best (in some cases, most eccentric) American bluesmen of the 1970s, encounter the Blues Brothers Band in surprising places and enjoy Jim's tributes to some of the great names in British jazz, such as Humphrey Lyttelton and Kenny Baker, with whom he worked closely.

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The UK's energy problems are now centre stage. Growing up with Gas puts them in perspective with a history of the gas industry from its revolutionary origins at the beginning of the 19th century, manufacturing coal gas, to the present, as a now handful of international companies gear up to move it from carbon-emitting natural gas to the clean gas hydrogen. En route, the fragmented industry was rationalised by nationalisation then returned to the vagaries of (now global) market forces by privatisation. Because the industry consisted of small companies for most of its 200 years, this national history is combined with a detailed case study. Focused on North Tyneside, it illustrates how local companies evolved and how their directors, shareholders, employees, and customers responded to national changes and local circumstances, including often fraught relationships with local Councils, competition from the electricity industry, and the huge impact of two world wars.

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A U-boat disappears in the North Atlantic in October 1942 and mysteriously re-surfaces in 1988. Gradually, the Kapitan and crew come to realise they have been propelled through time when radio silence is broken.The story explores the strengths, weaknesses and delicacies of the human condition as the men struggle to come to terms with the situation.U-116 returns to West Germany to a hero's welcome but the ordeal for most of the submariners is only just beginning as they set about tracing their erstwhile families in a divided country.

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George and Leila find life very different when Middlesbrough goes into Covid-19 lockdown. They miss their friends, football training, and going to watch Boro. They even miss going to school! Then Mrs Jenkins falls ill and her naughty sausage dog Parmo comes to stay with the children, keeping everyone on their toes. Parmo discovers a mysterious tennis ball and George is determined to find some answers. Will Parmo turn out to be the unlikely hero in the neighbourhood?

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Not Great Hopes is a personal account of episodes from the author’s childhood and a vivid evocation of life during the 1950s and 1960s. The chapters range from everyday life in the Birmingham suburb of Northfield, to school life, sport, television, holidays, a first experience of foreign travel, extended family and the account of a bitter family breakdown. They include details of a childhood that is in many ways dramatically different from the childhood of today, though many themes will resonate across the generations. The book also gives an account of the author’s relationship with and impression of a city, Birmingham, in a period of tumultuous demographic and architectural change. It ranges in emotional tone from the light and humorous to the poignant and tragic. Older readers will find much to recognise; younger readers, much to surprise them.

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The definition of slang according to the Oxford Dictionary is'a type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal are more common in speech than in writing and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people'. Thus, the choice of a phrase, or the use of 'jargon', a saying, or abbreviation, can accurately reflect our links to a specific place, employment or situations that impact upon us in our everyday lives. In the UK alone it is estimated that there are at least fifty-six regional interpretations of how we use English to convey our feelings and to communicate with one another. This little book contains some 2,000 such phrases, sayings and abbreviations drawn together, in the main,from the experiences of one family. It manifestly displays what a diverse world we now live in as families transcend different cultures and countries. It is not an academic study, rather it is designed to promote memories, to enable reflection on previous life experiences and, above all else, to simply have some fun whilst reading it. Preserving our past whilst understanding the present helps us to create history for the future as new generations go on to create their own versions of 'slang' applicable to that period. 'Ta-Ra-A-Bit'.

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