Author: tocino

24th April 1944.

Cassino Railway Station Royal West Kents.

At that time, it would appear, that the 5th Battalion D Coy were holding positions around Cassino Railway Station. They were the only company in close contact with the enemy. Another company was one mile further back and the remainder of the battalion further back still. The railway embankment was covered by the fixed lines of fire by the enemy. Because of this, rations were only taken every third night by tanks. The rations were placed in sandbags – one bag for each two-man weapon pit and the sandbags were slung round tanks which drove along the embankment and around the station positions dropping them off as required. Continue reading “24th April 1944.”

In Praise Of Bearsy.

I really enjoy Bearsy’s comments and find it a great shame that at times they do not stay in place for very long and a lot of readers may miss them. He does indeed speak the truth. Were it not for him, this site would not exist. All of the technical stuff is down to him. We all take it for granted and are able to do what we do here because of him. Continue reading “In Praise Of Bearsy.”

Questions

An arab boy asks his father.

“What is that weird hat you are wearing?’

“It is a ‘Chechia’ because in the desert, it protects our head from the sun.”

“What is this type of clothing are we wearing?”

“It is a ‘Djabellah’ because in the desert, it is really hot.”

“What are these ugly shoes we have on our feet?”

“These are ‘Babouches’ which keep us from burning our feet when in the desert.”

“Tell me papa?”

“Yes my son.” Continue reading “Questions”

Colonoscopy Journal

Believe me, this is pretty much how it happens.

I called my friend Andy, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy.

A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis . Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. Continue reading “Colonoscopy Journal”

Anyone Remember This?

April Fool’s Day Hoax – Spaghetti Harvest – 1st April 1957

On April 1, 1957 the British television programme Panorama broadcast a three-minute segment about a bumper spaghetti harvest in southern Switzerland. The success of the crop was attributed both to an unusually mild winter and to the virtual disappearance of the spaghetti weevil. The audience heard Richard Dimbleby, the shows highly respected anchor, discussing the details of the spaghetti crop as they watched video footage of a Swiss family pulling pasta off spaghetti trees and placing it into baskets. The segment concluded with the assurance that, For those who love this dish, theres nothing like real, home-grown spaghetti.

 Continue reading “Anyone Remember This?”