Remains of world war 2

A Second World War staff car that was driven across Europe and North Africa by George Formby while he entertained the troops is tipped to sell for £35,000. The 1939 Mercury Eight Series 99A Estate was used by the famous entertainer during his time in the Entertainments National Service Association. The body was established just after the outbreak of the war to provide entertainment for the British armed forces. Formby drove it during a 53-day tour of the Mediterranean in the summer of 1943 after befriending its creator, racing driver Sir Michael Campbell. A Second World War staff car that was driven across Europe and North Africa by George Formby while he entertained the troops is tipped to sell for £35,000 The 1939 Mercury Eight Series 99A Estate was used by the famous entertainer during his time in the Entertainments National Service Association The motor was updated for driving in the desert with larger tyres and partially painted-out windows to … [Read more...] about Bespoke car used by entertainer George Formby to visit troops during the Second World War is tipped to fetch at least £35,000 at auction

The German city of Dresden on Saturday marked 76 years since it was bombed by Allied forces during World War II, though commemoration events were scaled-down due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The president of the regional parliament, Matthias Rössler, laid down a wreath at the city's North Cemetery, where some of the victims from the bombing, which began on February 13, 1945, are buried. The Coventry Litany of Reconciliation was read out at the Frauenkirche by pastor Angelika Behnke, together with Reverend Christopher Cocksworth, the bishop of Coventry — a British city also heavily bombarded during World War II. Dresden Mayor Dirk Hilbert was on hand to join in with the reading. The Frauenkirche, which was destroyed by the bombing of the German city, but later rebuilt through donations, was a symbol of "humanity and trust, that death, war, hate and destruction will not have the last word," Behnke uttered. "Peace is a gift, it is a life-long task," said Günther Ulbricht, … [Read more...] about Dresden marks 76 years since World War II bombing

Hundreds of residents from properties surrounding the site where a Second World War German bomb was detonated are still not allowed back in their homes. The device, believed to be a 1,000kg "Hermann" bomb, was discovered on a building site on private land to the west of the University of Exeter campus on Friday. Initially, a 100m (328ft) cordon was put in place, but this was extended to 400m (1,312ft) on Saturday at the request of the Royal Navy bomb disposal team. Residents at about 2,600 properties around Glenthorne Road, including 1,400 university students, were evacuated. The device was destroyed in a controlled explosion on Saturday night with the blast being heard from several miles away. Advertisement The original cordon has reduced but several hundred residents remain away from their homes, including 500 students. More from Devon Windows blown out and buildings cracked after WW2 bomb detonated in Exeter Need a little … [Read more...] about Second World War bomb detonated in Exeter leaving hundreds unable to return home

W hen Tang Seng heard gunshots close to his village in Myanmar , he had a choice: carry his grandmother away from the fighting on his back or run for help. She asked him to kill her and leave her there but he refused. Tang Seng walked out of his village carrying Supna Hkawn Bu to a makeshift camp for the displaced, where they remain with their family. She has had to flee from conflict five times in her life and didn’t speak for two days when they first arrived. War in Myanmar is synonymous with the Rohingya crisis but Tang Seng and his grandmother are not Rohingya refugees. They are from the country’s north, in the state of Kachin, where another brutal but far less well publicised conflict is playing out between the largely Christian minority group and government militias. The forgotten war For centuries, the Kachin, who number about 1,600,000, lived in relative peace in the northern Myanmar mountains near the border with China. After Myanmar gained independence from the … [Read more...] about ‘Slow genocide’: Myanmar’s invisible war on the Kachin Christian minority

The Paris Opera has vowed to overhaul its recruiting practices as it launched a drive towards greater diversity in the heart of its elite ballet company, orchestra and dance school. The issue has already sparked fierce debate in France, with rightwingers accusing the Opera’s new director general, Alexander Neef, of introducing American-style culture wars into its cloistered arts scene. But amid Black Lives Matter protests across France and deepening debate over its colonial legacy, Neef remained unrepentant about the need for greater diversity, and in an online press conference on Monday promised a shake-up of the 350-year-old institution. A report by the historian Pap Ndiaye and rights advocate Constance Rivière has set out recommendations including an active effort to send recruiters out into the world in search of talent rather than relying on dancers coming to them. “The objective is not that the school recruits less talented students to meet diversity objectives, … [Read more...] about New culture war erupts over Paris Opera diversity push