Back in 1944, my father was serving in the Royal Air Force. He was stationed in a large base in Foggia in Southern Italy and was flying active service missions in a Wellington bomber, attacking targets in Italy, Germany, Yugoslavia and Rumania. I've no real idea how this would have affected him. He was always happy to talk about the war, but rarely about the darker aspects of it. Although he was a prisoner of war in Rumania, he only ever spoke highly of the Italian people. The occasional references he made to German camp guards portrayed them as rather stupid. I asked him about this once and he said "the last thing any decent soldier would want to be was a guard in a prisoner of war camp", making it clear that he felt them to be the dregs of the German army, in every respect. He had a lot of professional admiration for the capabilities of Luftwaffe pilots.
The only Axis soldiers he ever spoke in any way negatively about were the Japanese. This was based on the harsh treatment of Australian POW's, including some of his close friends. He used to tell the story of how one of his friends was being held in a Japanese run POW camp and he and his comrades were being badly treated, and were starving. The camp commandant had two fine fighting cocks and in desperation, he killed it and ate it, with some other Aussie POW's. The camp commandant was furious and said that if the perpetrator did not own up, 50 men would be executed. My Dad's friend decided to own up. He was staked out in the sun for three days in the hot sun and on the third day all of the inmates were forced to watch his execution. The camp commandant offered him a final request. His response, knowing he was going to die, was the "The other cock for supper". Sadly that was the last thing he said. He cited it as proof of the unbreakable anti establishment ethos of the ordinary Australian. I used to view it as a 'funny story', but in one of my last conversations with my Dad, I asked him if it was true. He told me that it was, another friend who survived had witnessed it. But he went on to tell me that other Aussies had told him the same story about other people.
He was unimpressed when I told him it sounded like when The Sex Pistols played in Manchester. I explained that there were in reality about 30 people there, but if everyone who said they'd been there was, then the crowd would have filled Wembley Stadium. He then laughed, understanding that what I was referring to was the propensity of people to nick other peoples stories. He told me the Aussies were the worst for that. There is a scene in the film Gallipoli, where Paul Hogan's character is asked what his trade is. He lists a long list of achievements, ending with "and the biggest liar in Queensland" (if my memory serves me correctly).
But amidst all of the bravado, there was a softer side, a side I never really saw. My father was not one for sentimentality or displaying vulnerability, but my aunts effects are being cleared out and my cousin found some of my maternal grandmothers possessions in a bag. One of the items was this
It is a sketch of Wellington bomber flying through searchlights and anti aircraft fire. The inscription reads 'Even we who fly sometimes think there’s no place like home’. My father was a talented artist, and had many sketchbooks of planes etc, none of which I've got. He was a very mechanically minded person and liked accurate drawings. My mother bought a large Picasso picture for the wall, which he hated, but she insisted on hanging up. His view was that it wasn't any good if it didn't look like the subject. What is interesting is that the plane appears to be diving to avoid the searchlights. My father told a story of how once he'd been targetted by a blue searchlight. These were rumoured to be radar guided and it was said if this illuminated you, then you had six seconds to live. He told me he immediately put the plane into a corkscrew dive and just managed to avoid the shells as they burst around him. When he returned to base, the RAF told him that no such German weapons existed. At an RAF reunion get together in the late 1970's, a weapons expert gave a talk. Someone asked about the blue searchlights and the expert again stated that these didn't exist. My father recounted that there was uproar as several pilots at the dinner had been shot down by them. When I queried why this should be, he said "The way it works here is that when they decide they are not going to tell you something, they won't tell you it, ever". Apparently a couple of years later, the same guy came back and gave a proper explanation. I do wonder if this sketch was a depiction of the incident? Something clearly made him a bit homesick. I was also puzzled as to why he sent it to my Grandmother instead of his then fiance, my Mum? I think the inscription gives a clue. My father at that time was an orphan, his mother had passed away in the 1930's, tragically in a road accident. I suspect that, as many of us do, when things get difficult, we want to be in a loving safe place, and perhaps my Dad had decided that 56 Milling Road in Burnt Oak was his safe place.
There are two lessons I draw from this, from todays crisis. The first is perhaps a very sad one. The government are still lying to us, telling us things we know not to be true, thinking we are too stupid to realise. The second is that ultimately, there really is no place like home, especially in a time of great crisis. There are those who stay and fight and those who turn and run. I know what my Father did. Sadly I also know what the bloke directing our response to this virus did, when the chips were down. They say we get the leaders we deserve.That is perhaps the thing that troubles me the most.
.
We have a holiday booked for late September, the holiday of a lifetime! We will be flying over to Las Vegas, to retake our wedding vows in the Elvis chapel. Then we will make our way to Los Angeles, and take a cruise up to San Francisco. We planned it last year and are going with friends.
The only problem is......
I have been giving much thought to the subject of a holiday at home this summer. If we can't do our little tour, maybe the tour could come to us? I was giving some thought to the things I like about the various places we've been. In Paris, the croissant for breakfast and the fine dining and great wines at diner, the little custard tarts you get in Lisbon. The champagne of Epernay. The cerveza and tapas of Barcelona. The moule and the beers of Brussels. The freshly grilled fish of Biarritz (the last place we went before the lockdown). With a little imagination, surely we can do this at home? Please note, this isn't a blog of ideas for a holiday in lockdown with your kids.
There is also the cultural aspect. On holiday, we always take in a gallery or two, do a bit of sightseeing and maybe watch some music or whatever the local culture is. It got me thinking. What films, documentaries or other TV/video/youtube would make one most encapsulate the culture of a nation and be worth watching? Some of the film recommendations, you'll have to pay a few pennies for, but it is far cheaper than the airfare! I think three days of Travel documentaries would be a bit dull, so I've tried to mix it all up a bit.
So here is my plan for a long weekend away in my own front room (and garden).
Saturday - Monte Carlo.
I've always been fascinated by Monte Carlo, since seeing the film Monte Carlo or Bust. My good friend Luke Albanese will recall how we used to play 'Monte Carlo Rally' in the back garden as kids, in tribute to this. We'd all choose a car and run as fast as we could in circles, skidding in the mud, until one day Luke's wheelspin ended with him landing in a muddy puddle in his new coat. No more Monte Carlo, but as a seven year old, it was a film that really sparked my imagination.
It is one place I've never been, but it would be on my bucket list, if I had such a thing.
So back to the plan. We'd start our holiday in style. We'd get up and have a champagne breakfast, with croissants and fresh strawberry jam. Once that had been polished off, we'd start to immerse ourselves in the culture and watch Monte Carlo rally again.
Once we were suitably in the mood, I would bring us to lunch. I had a look at the website for Maison Du Caviar, one of the better restaurants. For 32 Euro's you can get this.
As Clare is a pescatarian, the blini and Smoked Salmon look good to start, followed by the sea bream. Maybe we'd skip dessert. A nice bottle of good French wine to wash it down would be very pleasant, after all, we are on holiday!
I find it quite inspiring to look at menus from good restaurants for ideas. I generally prefer to try out the restaurant first, then see how close I can get to recreating their finest dishes. A good restaurant pays close attention to detail and the flavours are not overpowering. One of the mistakes us wannabe cooks make is we over-egg the pudding. It is always good to simplify, but also to note the little touches.
French cooking done well is a marvel to behold. There is a certain ceremony, theatre and art to it. I do miss it and that is the element that you can't recreate, but maybe we'll put our glad rags on for this.
For a post dejeunnere entertainment, maybe watch Grand Prix from 1966 with James Garner, The picture was photographed in Super Panavision 70 by Lionel Lindon, and presented in 70mm Cinerama in premiere engagements. Its unique racing cinematography is one of the main draws of the film.
The film includes real-life racing footage and cameo appearances by drivers including Formula One World Champions Phil Hill, Graham Hill, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, Jochen Rindt and Jack Brabham. Other drivers who appeared in the film include Dan Gurney, Ludovico Scarfiotti, Richie Ginther, Joakim Bonnier, Bruce McLaren and Jo Siffert.
As this may not be to Clare's taste, if we are feeling silly Herbie goes to Monte Carlo. I used to love the Herbie films. It would be interesting to see how they have aged. Maybe we could watch both!
That takes us to diner. I had a quick shufti at the Restaurant Joel Rubichon for inspiration.
To be civilised, we'd start with a nice G&T. To eat? The Scallops look like a winner to start. The Royal Spiny Lobster on a chick pea bed looks good for a main. As to the dessert, Maybe we could try a crème Brule, if I could get hold of a blow lamp, and finish off with some good cheeses. A full bodied French wine would be great to wash it all down.
As to the evenings entertainment. I think a nice playlist of maybe some Serge Gainsbourg and Jacques Brel and the like. I'm not really a massive fan of French music, but we have time, so I guess that this is the time to check some of it out!
Sunday - Mexico.
The great thing about this weekend away is that distance is no problem. I've always fancied a little trip to Mexico. We stopped their briefly passing through a few years ago on a cruise from Cuba. It was lovely, but we didn't scratch the surface.
To get us in the mood for some Mexican culture, we'll watch "Hecho en Mexico (Made in Mexico)", which is a highly recommended introduction to Mexican culture.
Lunch -
Tacos for lunch. These are always fun. Maybe washed down with a couple of beers. You can pick Corona lager up at the moment very cheap (can't think why). Taco's are easy to make and tasty.
For our afternoon's entertainment, I decided to go with Mexico's finest guitarist Carlos Santana. They really are an extraordinary band. I felt a bit of time travel back to 1970 would be order of the day!
There is no greater joy in life than just kicking back and listening to great music.
This takes us up to dinner. My experience of Mexican food is pretty much flavoured by Mestizo in Euston. I think that it would be fun to do a take on their Mexican Tapas and the Prawns in Tamarind Sauce. If our meat eating friends were joining us, I may well try the Shank of Lamb in Mexican Sauces and some refried beans. I am sure a few more tequila based cocktails would be in order.
As I know nothing about Mexican cinema, I googled to see the best films and found this list. I had a look and decided that this looked the most fun.
Now I'm assuming its a long weekend, like today, we have Monday to play with. I thought long and hard about where we should go. We've been to Europe and we've been to The America's. So where to next? It was a toss up between India, South Korea, Japan or Australia. I ruled out India, as I really think that you can't have proper India food without a proper Naan and we haven't got a Tandoori oven. South Korea was tempting, after the Oscars, the film making has been in vogue, but to be honest, I know little about the cuisine and when I did look, I felt that I didn't really know how much of it should taste, so there was plenty of room for getting it wrong. As one of my daughters has a deep love of Japanese culture, it was really tempting, but I figured that it would be her choices. As I am half Aussie, I ended up with an Aussie day.
I'd do my take on Bills Full Aussie - full Aussie - scrambled eggs, sourdough toast, cumin roast tomato, herbed garlic mushrooms, pork, chilli and fennel sausage, bacon. For Clare, I'd swap the Bacon for smoked Salmon and a Linda McCartney sausage for a porky one. Once that was polished off, a chilled morning.
The Aussie film industry has made some fantastic movies and there are some great bands. I think I'd probably settle for reading the papers whilst listening to Today Wonder by Aussie Legend Ed Kuepper, to get the day going. IMHO, this is the best Aussie Album of the lot.
Having had a large breakfast, I think we'd go for a late lunch/early dinner in true Aussie style with a Barbeque and a selection of their finest beers and wines. Now if you want to do an Aussie barbie properly, be careful. I did a quick search and this article came top. I've been to a few Aussie Barbies over the years and I've got to say that the rules are simple, if everyone eats and drinks too much, they go home happy. We have two Webbers (Charcoal Barbie grills). One for meat and one for non meat. If you have fussy veggies, that is the only way to go and you really don't want sausages to be tinged with fishy smells.
My minimum requirements are
Meat
Sausages, burgers, Chicken (pre cooked and finished on the grill) with optional steak/lamb kebabs.
Fish
Salmon, King Prawns, Tuna (seared on the outside, pink in the middle use thick cuts).
Veggie
Veggie Sausages/Burgers (Linda McCartney are good), Haloumi kebabs, Marinated Aubergine and Courgette skewers, Mushrooms and pineapple.
A few years ago, my cousin, who is backwoodsman Aussie came for a barbie. He was quite amazed that we did such things in London. He was equally surprised by just how tasty some of the Sausages from Boucherie Gerard were. I think he initially thought that us drinking red wines rather than Castlemaine 4X was sacrilege, but by the end of the evening he'd got the idea. I think he appreciated that as the night time temperature was not 40 degrees like Townsville, wine was not such a bad idea. Cultural appropriation is not always such a terrible thing.
As it starts to chill outside, we'd move inside. There are so many movies to watch that it is hard to know where to start. There is a pretty good list here. I'd recommend Walkabout and Muriels wedding, but my favourite Aussie film doesn't feature. It is Last Cab to Darwin.
So those are my choices. What are your ideas for your long weekend at home?
So what has been happing in our little corner of paradise? This is the story through the eyes of local army of tweeters.
1. Lets start in Burnt Oak, where whatever will replace the Bald Faced Stag is taking shape. Our local pub champion Mark Amies is keeping a beady eye on it
5. Great to see work progressing at the home of Edgware Town and Hendon FC. I know that this is technically Brent but both clubs have their sprititual base in the Borough of Barnet
— Silver Jubilee Park (@JubileeSilver) May 22, 2020
6. This has to be the historical tweet of the week, a Halifax Bomber being built in Cricklewood. We must not forget our amazing local industrial history and we really should preserve what is left of it.
The tail surfaces being fitted to Halifax II Series I W7656 at Handley Page's plant at Cricklewood, London, March 1942. pic.twitter.com/aMv9uOjADb
7. Whilst we are in Cricklewood, there was some other major news. DB rail opened a major railfreight hub this week, which will bring aggregates in for the many major local building projects.
Despite the Government’s ongoing restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, DB Cargo UK has officially opened its new £7M rail freight terminal in Cricklewood, North London.https://t.co/tYdHLquDmTpic.twitter.com/Bt7Vnf01Ym
8. And one of these projects will be the new station at Brent Cross, which received planning permission this week
Unanimous approval for London’s newest train station, Brent Cross West. It’s on track for 2022 completion: https://t.co/aPGEOza4Jz
The approval of the design of the £40million station is another big milestone in the delivery of the ambitious Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration. pic.twitter.com/8jfCFvGwit
— Barnet Council #StayAlert (@BarnetCouncil) May 20, 2020
9. I will definitely check this out when I next get the opportunity
At Finchley Central tube station, you can still see the original copy of the Harry Beck tube map displayed.
He lived nearby & often used this station
Sadly only paid 5 guineas for his work (£5.25), he transformed the old muddled map into the design we know today #HarryBeckpic.twitter.com/ripY1BlIUV
— Untold Stories Retold (@retoldstories) May 17, 2020
10. There are snakes in the grass in Mill Hill, watch your step!
Any snakeologists in the club that can identify this little beauty seen on the 10th? More importantly, does it have teeth or venom and how fast can it run? pic.twitter.com/LoREAuHDXC
— Mill Hill Golf Club (@millhillgolf) May 23, 2020
The two previous quizzes that we've put together have been very popular, so I've decided to put a third one together. This quiz takes in the surrounding areas which those of us who like a good walk may see. It is also a collaboration with two of my friends, Chris Fanning, who has provided an amazing local history round. Chris grew up in Mill Hill in the 1950's and 60's and his family ran a local building firm. We also nagged an old friend of ours for a sports round. This is from a character readers of this blog will know well, Richard Wilkinson, who has provided the sports round. I have provided the picture round.Ten questions in each round, see how you do. As with the previous quizzes, we will release the answers on Saturday. Please feel free to share.
Chris Fannings local history round.
1. Where was the plane crash in Mill Hill and what aircraft was it? The plane crashed into a wall on Highwood Hill, just before the junction with Marsh Lane, to the East of The Rising Sun. It was a Dakota. You can still see where, as the wall was repaired with different bricks. Here is some more info.
2.
John Laing set up head office in Mill Hill and started constructing
houses in the towns around but where did he build his large housing
estate in Mill Hill which was already quite well developed town.
This was the Sunnyfields Estate, off Lawrence Street.
3. What year was the original Sacred Heart Mill Hill Catholic Church built by the Priest Architect Benedict Williamson?
The original Church was built in 1923.
4. Where was Nell Gwynne rumoured to be associated with a fine house built in Mill Hill?
5.
When the railway came to Mill Hill, the building of houses In the
village started very slowly but where were the first houses built Just
after the railway came
The first houses built to accommodate the Railway were the Midland Railway Cottages in Station Road, built for the workers. You can just see one of the houses in Capture 40 on this link, on Reel Streets, for the film Hand in Hand, which had a scene filmed in Station Road and outside Mill Hill Synagogue - https://www.reelstreets.com/films/hand-in-hand/
6. What was the main produce grown on farmland in Mill Hill when the Midland Railway was built?
Hay farming, largely using seasonal Irish workers. There is still some hay farming on the St Josephs college fields, for local stables. You also see horses grazing
7.
Bill Fraser the actor was often seen on the Broadway but his famous
T.V. partner also lived in a Mill Hill, where was that and who was he?
Bill was the half of Bootsie and Snudge comedy Duo in the sixties sitcom and the other one was Alfie Bass who lived on the corner of Woodcroft Avenue. Here they are in action
8.
The Matthews Family were owners of the Forge in Lawrence Street and when
The last blacksmith, Mr Matthews died he was buried in St Paul’s
cemetery, what is placed on his grave?
A marble anvil was placed on his grave
9. What year was there a railway crash in Mill Hill Station?
— Roger Tichborne/RogT #CTID 🏴☠️🇬🇧 (@Barneteye) May 23, 2020
Richard Wilkinsons Sports Round
11. Which premier league team formerly trained on Pursley Road Playing fields?
Tottenham Hotspur FC
12. What was the name of the swimmer who won two gold medals in 2002 Commonwealth Games and what was their connection with Mill Hill.
Sarah Price - she was a member of the Barnet Copthall Swimming Club.
13. What was the name of the holder of the 10,000 metres long distance running record between 1973 and 1977 and what was their association with Mill Hill.
David Bedford, he was a member of The Shaftesbury Harriers Athletic club, based at Copthall.
14. Which test match playing nation once played a friendly cricket match against Hendon and Edgware Cricket club in Mill Hill Park.
Hendon and Edgware Cricket Club played Sri Lanka, before they were a test match nation.
15. Which two men who have held the Formula One racing championship lived in the same house in Mill Hill?
Graham Hill and his son Damon both lived in Parkside, Mill Hill. This is a great documentary about one of our own
16. It is well known that Saracens RFC play at Copthall (or Allianz Park), but what were the first professional Rugby team to play their matches at Copthall Stadium. The London Broncos Rugby League team 1993-1995 -
17. How many league football grounds can you get a direct train from Mill Hill Broadway Railway station to the nearest rail station and a bonus point if you can name them all.
Luton Crystal Palace (Norwood Junction) Gillingham Note that the nearest Station to Brighton is Falmer Station and until Wimbledon move to Plough Lane, they are nearest to Norbury.
18. The North London half marathon was run for a couple of years between Saracens Stadium and what other major sports stadium.
Wembley Stadium
19. Which Snooker world Champion has his picture hanging on the wall of the Mill Hill Services club, pictured after giving a snooker exhibition?
25. This building bears the name of one of the traditional Mill Hill farming families, a name borne by several roads locally, what is it?
This was Lawrence Farmhouse, where the Lawrence family lived. They gave their name to Lawrence Street, which was the original name for Mill Hill Broadway.
27. The tweet below shows a picture of the worlds fastest non electric train passing through Mill Hill. What was it called.
This train was the Experimental Advanced Passenger Train - known as the APT-E
The M1 and The Midland Mainline from Selvage Lane Bridge, 1975 and now. Not much has changed except the trains are now electric and a bit slower 😜 - hat tip to @13milepostpic.twitter.com/PZ79fnhEd2
— Roger Tichborne/RogT #CTID 🏴☠️🇬🇧 (@Barneteye) March 8, 2020
28. Where in Mill Hill was this picture taken?
This was taken at Mill Hill Swimming Pool in Daws Lane in 1962.
Just returned from a night shift at the local homeless night shelter. This is run by @habcentre with churches, mosques,shuls. The closure of cafe's have given many homeless nowhere to keep warm. The situation for many is critical pic.twitter.com/t6ZGhzDc6i
— Roger Tichborne/RogT #CTID 🏴☠️🇬🇧 (@Barneteye) March 23, 2020
30. And finally....... I finish with a nice photo from my friend Mark Amies. When this was first built, it was a petrol station. It had a large sign that it was your last chance to do what?
K Garage had a large sign saying Last petrol before the M1. Until the M1 was extended, this was the start of the M1. When the Fiveways flyover was constructed, the route northbound was built over and K Garage lost most of its petrol trade.
