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Our February 2017 Newsletter

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  Welcome to the February edition of the Newsletter.  The topical photograph this month is of my great-grandfather John Welch (1876 – 1926), East Surrey Regt.  Unfortunately his records are lost but from family stories he went to France in January or February 1917 after suffering from Pleurisy whilst at Dover Castle.  In the summer of 1918 he wa…

6 November 1914 Carl Hans Lody was shot as a spy on this day

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6 November 1914, broke cold, foggy and bleak, and at a very early hour Lody was brought from his cell, and the grim procession formed up on the veranda of the Tower Main Guard. It was led by the Chaplain, solemnly reading the Burial Service, followed by the prisoner, with an armed escort marching on either side of him, and the firing-party of eight…

Secrets in a Dead Fish

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By Melanie King Bodleian Library, 2014. ; £8.99, 102 pp, inc Glossary and Notes ISBN 978-1-85124-260-3 Book review by Barbara Taylor This small volume is sub-titled The Spying Game in the First World War. ‘Game’ might be a word that springs to mind when reading this book. To modern eyes, with Facebook, GPS devices and sophisticated digital means…

Death of a Spy: Charles Simon : 7 June 1915

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‘Project Hometown’ has brought to light many fascinating, tragic and sometimes uncomfortable stories. However, one of the most unusual cards is that of a civilian who received an award for gallantry and whose dependants were granted a military pension. Adam Charles Simon (who preferred to be known as Charles) was born in Bangkok on 4 June 1880…

'Invasion Scares from Napoleon to the Kaiser' - Tony Bolton

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On Wednesday 12th of July at the Hatfield Peverel venue we welcome Tony Bolton, Chairman of the WFA, to his first meeting of the Essex Branch to present his talk "Invasion scares from Napoleon to the Kaiser". In his own words this is a bit quirky and looks at the prelude to the War through contemporary literature and newspapers.  The meeting will …

'First World War Spies' with Roger Negus

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Roger Negus will be giving a talk on World War I Spies

'A Century of Emergency Legislation: The Defence of the Realm Act to Civil Contingencies Act' - Jonathan Swan

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The Defence of the Realm Act (DORA) during the War was a major over-reaction to combat perceived security concerns and was thoroughly disliked by the UK population. In this talk Jonathon will look at the lessons learned from DORA and how its legacy influenced subsequent emergency powers legislation in 1920, 1939, and 2004.  Meet at the Village Hal…