Mick Smith - Times Online - WBLG

Tracking Down Grandma's Secret Life as a Spy

The myth that Ian Fleming knew very little about MI6 has thankfully been exploded by a new file belated released to the National Archives at Kew, see Sunday’s article in the Sunday Times. The file was uncovered by Phil Tomaselli during research for his forthcoming book on how to track down your ancestors if they worked in intelligence. Ever since I wrote Station X: the Codebreakers of Bletchley Park, I have had repeated requests from people whose parents or grandparents worked there asking me if I know what they did. So I always knew Phil’s book Secret Service Ancestors, to be published by Pen and Sword would find a ready market. Unfortunately, the name of his book was removed in some editions of the Sunday Times, so here is the title once again Secret Service Ancestors. It is full of fascinating revelations. Tomaselli is a master at uncovering the hidden secrets of Britain's spooks and his book goes back to before the First World War, so if your parents, grandparents, or even your great-grandparents worked as codebreakers, or spies, or in any area of intelligence and you want to know what they did, this is the book to buy.

PS I'm on holiday in Turkey so apologies if you comments are taking a little longer to moderate than normal. Mick

Letter from the Left Coast: McCain Blames Obama and Women for the Crash, Will He Dump Palin?

Ian Bowater, our old-fashioned leftie lost in Los Angeles, wonders who else McCain will find to blame for the financial crash

Give me liberty or give me debt! The House of Representatives voted for liberty and rejected the Bush/Paulson/Bernanke bailout package endorsed by a panicked Democratic leadership. It started last week with the Death of a Salesman. Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, fetched up in Congress with a charming idea called a “bailout” plan. What he was selling was a bunch of “toxic loans”. Sounds inviting, doesn’t it? Shit sandwich anyone? Henry Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury turned to the 9/11, Iraq War, Patriot Act playbook and said it had to be done and done quickly. Fortunately, enough on the left and right in the House of Representatives cottoned on to the idea that “a bailout”  is supposed to mean shipping water out of a sinking vessel rather that letting 700 billion gallons in. John McCain rode in to rescue the bailout and ended up bailing out on the rescue.

Will The Conservatives Really Support Defence? More to the Point, Does the Voter Really Care?

THE former head of Britain’s armed forces has said the government is to blame for the deaths of some of our servicemen and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan because it failed to fund the armed forces properly. Lord Guthrie, who retired as Chief of Defence Staff in 2001, was reacting to a new poll which found that 70 per cent of population believe the government is “failing to give the Armed Forces the resources they need”.

My Son's in Afghanistan: But at Last He's Coming Home!

Mandy, our soldier's Mum, is beginning to get a touch hysterical at the thought of him coming home!

Maybe, god love him, there was no room at the inn. Maybe it was just a moment. Maybe I was so busy choking into my bucket during that full on eyes-closed smackeroonie that I almost missed it. You know that bit where Gordon Brown decided not to mention the war.  Alastair Campbell must have warned him to mind his manners.

Letter from the Left Coast: Focus on Palin Merely Protects McCain

Our correspondent in sunny California Ian Bowater reminds us that the key issue on the Republican ticket is not Palin

[Mick says: I'd be interested to know what you think McCain is saying to Palin here!]

First a declaration – no animals were harmed in the writing of this Letter From the Left Coast but we did slap lipstick on a few pigs. All accusations of sexism are without foundation. The McCain Campaign’s assassination of the truth looks like the St. Valentine’s Day mascara. Apparently, poor, cute, little Sarah Palin has been so reviled by the sexist Obama campaign she is but one typo away from being a “Honky Mom” – more of her later.

It Wasn't Like That in My Day! Deal Loses The Marines and Gains an Army of Interior Designers

Our resident veteran Chuck Unsworth visits the scene of an IRA outrage and mourns the loss of its garrison

I motored over to Deal on the eastern coast of Kent a few days ago.  I like Deal.  It’s a typical slightly run-down coastal town with a long naval and military history.  The low, squat and small castle viewed from the air is the shape of a Tudor Rose.  It’s one of a chain of three such ‘device forts’, the others being Walmer – a favourite residence of the former Queen Mother, which also has some fine gardens – and Sandown, mostly demolished many years ago.  These were built by Henry VIII to house and support artillery, and Deal’s massive stone walls and bleak bastions were and still are a formidable challenge.  Today, cannons still sit on the solid roofs overlooking the shoreline, ready to savage any would-be invaders from Europe with direct fire.

No that isn't Deal! The Band of the Royal Marines hit Broadway.

My Son's in Afghanistan: Another Boy's Dad's Never Coming Back

Our soldier's Mum Mandy is counting the days to do and they finally are getting few!

Ross is back in Kandahar. He’d said it was a big one! And boy was he right? The phenomenal success at Kajaki, where the 1st 2nd and 3rd Battalions of The Parachute Regiment, fought together for the first time since Arnhem, along with thousands of other soldiers, to deliver the 200 tonne turbine to Kajaki, is something that is now a part of our family history. This is the very thing that Ross signed up to do. To make a difference. To do something. To be counted. I am so, so proud. Of  them all. It might take years yet before the electricity is flowing to the people that need it. And the Taliban will almost certainly continue to scam the villagers into paying ‘taxes’ for it. Ding-Dong!  Our government have been cheating us out of taxes for years.

Ross and Flannegan at Kajaki.

Letter from the Left Coast: McCain - the Edwina Currie Connection!

Ian Bowater, our leftie lost in California gets back into the comfort zone by turning his pit bulls on McCain and Palin with a sideswipe at a former enemy nearer to home!

Last week St. Paul, Minnesota became the last refuge of the scoundrel. It was impossible to move at the Republican Party convention for the Stars and Stripes. Digital images wafted digitally everywhere. At least at the Olympics they got a couple of hairdryers to make proper flags waft in reality. Under the banner of “Country First”, the straw-boatered crowd whooped it up for their scoundrel-in-chief – John McCain, total liar and fraud.

It Wasn't Like That in My Day! The Obsession With Youth Has Robbed Us of Something of Value

Chuck, our resident veteran worries that the changing face of society has removed a major calming factor

Father-in-law’s birthday the other week was the occasion for a family convocation (or booze-up) on the luxurious Silver Sturgeon sailing down the Thames from central London to Greenwich and back.  Uncle Jim, a Queen’s Waterman, has spent most of his working life on the river and still works on the boats, ferrying the tourists up and down.  His son Jamie, now the Master of the Sturgeon, carries on the family associations.

My Son's in Afghanistan: Feeding his Nose to a Camel Spider

Mandy, our soldier's mum, is back, and she isn't any fonder of Gordon!

On his terribly convenient stopover in Afghanistan, Gordon Brown, en-route to the Olympic Games with his family, told his neatly arranged audience in British Camp Bastion that “they were all heroes, worthy of any medals won by our athletes.” Oh really? He went on to tell the soldiers, “You know that you are on the front line in the fight against the Taliban.” Oh! I see now. In a podium, competitive, sporting sort of way do you mean Gordon?  “And you know that by what you are doing here you prevent terrorism coming to the streets of Britain." Oh come on! Walk down any street in the UK, on your own, and open your eyes.

Letter from the Left Coast: Liberals dis' Palin at their Peril

The holidays are over and Ian Bowater, the author of our regular letter from sunny California, returns to find to his shock that McCain is back in the running with a babe in tow

Surprise! It’s the last month of the regular season in baseball. Is John McCain “Mr. Shocktober”? When I left you, it was July 4th Independence Day and now I return at the official end of the summer on Labour Day. Why the long hiatus? Have we all been hanging on with bated breath for the convention season? Not exactly… nothing much happened over the summer. There was some sort of sports event in China, Ronaldo didn’t go to Madrid and New Orleans is about to be hit with another devastating hurricane. Same old same old, except… the Chicago Cubs, the perennial also-rans of Major League Baseball are leading the Central Division of the National League, the first team to eighty wins this season and the best record in all of baseball. This is the Cubs’ year – their first since 1908.

My Son's in Afghanistan: Six Weeks Left To Do!

Mandy, our soldier's mum, on the "sheer bravery" of our troops in Afghanistan

Ross has been back in Kandahar for well over a week. We have linked up with him a number of times, via skype, and it is just the most amazing experience to see his face as we speak. There he is, joking about with his friends next to him in the Naafi, some of them we know. Three or four gathered round his laptop and Tom couldn’t resist teasing them by opening a can of ice-cold beer! I learnt a new swear word and I think someone got slapped!  Ross noticed that Tom was wearing his brand new ‘T’ shirt and gave him jip! Someone produced a can of Becks, just to get their own back, and Tom, being Tom, spotted the ‘alcohol free,’ on the side of the can, producing yet more back slaps and banter.  To see them, all so very far away, clowning around and laughing is just what we needed. It is so much better than a phone call.

My Son's in Afghanistan: I'm So Proud, and So Scared

Ross has just flown back to Afghanistan when his mother Mandy hears that a soldier from his unit has been killed.

The dog was barking like crazy! I heard the window being pushed up and, even though it was the very early hours of the morning, I wasn’t worried. Ross was just doing his “I’ve lost my key and don’t want to waken you” routine. Again! He also lost his driving license in the ATM machine, (but didn’t mind waking me to borrow money when it hadn’t worked!) he lost his shoes, phone and countless games of golf. The house was completely Rossed and bursting every night with his friends. They occasionally played Call of Duty on his laptop, using a plate of his body armour as a mouse mat and it felt like a miracle at times, that no-one was sectioned. He had a brilliant time. We all did.

It Wasn't Like That in My Day! Can Nimrod's Reputation Revive?

Our resident veteran Chuck Unsworth reflects on gentler happier days for the aircraft that became the RAF's Nimrod spy plane

Despite the tremendous intensity of action, even today’s warfare is not continuous contact or permanent patrol.  On active service there are lulls or points in the day when soldiers may be able to relax and switch off as best they can.  Soldiers do this in a variety of ways.  An essential part of my usual preparation for manoeuvres or active operations was the selection of a good paperback book.  I used to read voraciously whenever the opportunity arose.  Indeed I still enjoy the process of choosing books to read on long journeys, where others are doing the navigating and piloting.  For me now that is largely when taking holidays.

My Son's in Afghanistan: The Sheer Joy of R+R!

Mandy, our soldier's mum, gets to see her son back from Afghanistan on R and R

When Ross pulled up in the car, Beenie fled upstairs. He looked so skinny, so tired and so damn beautiful. “Alright mum,” he yelled, “got that tea on yet?” He was straight off the plane and still in his uniform. We just hugged and hugged. “Ok...ok, let go...will you,” he laughed, “ let me at least put this body armour down, it weighs a ton!” I blubbed like a baby.

The Real Reason Why Our Forces Will Never Have Everything They Need to Fight a War

The news that half of our army and navy have considered quitting over the failure to provide proper equipment will be no surprise to readers of this blog. What is more difficult to work out is how those responsible for the failures to provide sufficient supplies of adequate equipment can explain away such incompetence. I found a sort of an answer during a recent holiday in Greece. Re-reading a book, I first read long ago, I found it contained some very insightful writing on the failures that bedevil our military and it is worth sharing.

It Wasn't Like That in My Day! But These Wonderful Flying Machines Bring it All Back

Resident Veteran Chuck Unsworth looks back at some veteran aircraft, and he's not talking about the Nimrod! This wonderful contraption is an Avro triplane, the first all-British aircraft.

Last weekend the Shuttleworth Collection, based at Old Warden airfield in Bedfordshire, held one of its regular ‘Flying Days’. The Collection is a splendid display of vintage and veteran aircraft, in excellent condition.  Many have been restored to perfect flying condition.  The sight and sound of these aged aeroplanes as they taxi, take off and land is exhilarating.  The next Flying Day is on 3rd of August and promises to be a fine day out, but to me the static display, where you can get close to the magnificent craft and really scrutinise them, is the most interesting part.  Beautiful engineering and craftsmanship is everywhere.  Wood skeletons and canvas, steel wires, bronze, manganese, perspex, paper-thin sheet metal, machined steel, cast iron, copper, brass and so on.  It’s the sheer engineering and design effort that has gone into getting a man off the ground and, albeit precariously, into the air.

My Son's in Afghanistan: Can't Wait 'til He Comes Home on R+R!

Soldier's mum Mandy is looking forward to her son coming home on R+R

When Ross told us that he was back at base in Kandahar and would remain there till his R+R, we all danced around the house. But then we heard nothing at all from him. Seems he is up to a hell of a lot more in the mountains with the Quick Response Team. Immediately after dropping them off, their Chinook was forced to land when one of the rotors clipped the mountain side. “Mum, we just stood back and watched in horror as this huge helicopter fought desperately to negotiate the terrain before finally landing. A Sea-King was rapidly deployed, with a team of mechanics on board, and to see such a little thing take over was pretty amazing.”

Letter From The Left Coast: Modern Democracy At Work

From Zimbabwe to the San Juan Capistrano School Board, Ian Bowater observes democracy in action and doesn't like what he sees.

Let’s talk about elections. Is it just a year ago that Gordon Brown was wading gloriously through the summer monsoon floods and bird flu? He was on course for another big election win in the autumn. Then he decided to bottle it because Dave Cameron’s Tory bandwagon slipped into town with its usual threadbare, gold lamé policies. Diamond Dave derailed that whole new era of dour, competent government thing in one fell swoop. I still reckon Gordon could have seen off Dave but he choked, leaving the panting, expectant press corps at the altar. There is no fury like that of a bunch of drunks scorned and the Fourth Estate turned on him. “Why shouldn’t it be election year every year?” they cried. Well, it is. Elections are like death and multiple orgasms, there’s always someone somewhere in the world having one.

My Son's in Afghanistan: Maybe It Might Be Doing Some Good?

A telephone call from her son has set our soldier's Mum Mandy wondering if there might not be a reason to be in Afghanistan

“Oh mum!……Listen to this. I’m standing right in front of a ferris wheel, near a small fun fair, and slap bang in the middle of a city. I can’t say where, over the phone, but I could be in London! Well, apart from the heat….it’s still a killer. There are about twenty children hanging off my legs, all laughing and joking, and one of them, he’s about Tom’s age, speaks perfect English. I’m stopping people in cars and he’s translating for me. I really can’t believe it! And the kids here mum, they go to school! It’s how the whole of Afghan could be.”