derry

Way I see it. eg V1s and V2s.

When I started flying at the end of the sixties most of my instructors and then airline captains were virtually all ex wartime RAF. Nearly all of them had gallantry medals. A lot of them with bars and more than one medal. Some served in the battle of Britain, others from before the war in Bomber command. One was with Bader in 242, another a navigator on the Dams with 617, several aces, plenty of multi tour and an American B17 pilot, a glider pilot at the crossing of the Rhine (transferred after completing a Lancaster course due shortage of GPs), a C47 pilot who was at Arnhem, ex POWs, several Coastal Command Sunderland pilots. To a man I never heard one of them criticise the conduct of the war. All of them regularly opened up to me regarding their experiences. None of them appeared to be affected by any feelings the funny stories were told at the same time as the really hairy or tragic events. They had survived, one great friend from 1937 Czech AF, 1939 French AF, 1940 - 45 RAF, CAF 45 - RAF 48 - sixties, an ace flew right through and Spitfires from 40 - 45. They had developed an immunity that allowed them to talk about the dead in the same way they talked about the living. It was a privilege to fly with these guys and hear their stories. It is grossly disrespectful to try and rewrite history and criticise from opinions in films and books. They did it we only read about it. Bomber Command and the 8th AF devastated Germany and forced it to use enormous resources in Germany that couldn't be used against the allies and thereby weakened the opposition met by the armies. Anybody who tries to argue differently from where I'm standing has a left wing pacifist agenda.

You aren't saying anything about Harris that isn't well known. Single minded and sometimes got it wrong. The politicians ran for it as usual. The pilots I flew with wouldn't be wringing their hands over the bombs they dropped or the people they killed. The Germans were the enemy who tried to take over the world in the most vile and ruthless way, they started the bombing and they got their come uppance in spades. The Germans thought they would dish it out with immunity but were wrong. They were lucky the war ended when it did because two or three atom bombs would probably have done as much damage as the whole bombing campaign. The politicians had no problem using them either.

Harris was an Air Vice Marshall AOC Bomber Command only. There was plenty of senior officers and committees that could dictate policy. Then there was the political overview micromanaged by Churchill. Does anybody really make the argument that Harris for one minute could do whatever he wanted. He couldn't even stop the Dam Busters raid because he was overruled. Dresden was attacked allegedly after pressure from the Soviets. Harris was hung out to dry by the politicians who tried to distance themselves from decisions they had made but after the war wanted to rewrite their part in it. Military officers are easy victims for unscrupulous politicians because they are unable to defend themselves properly.

Millions were exterminated by the third Reich. Millions of Russians killed by the Germans. Poland, Holland, France, Denmark, Norway, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia annexed, unrestricted bombing, unrestricted submarine warfare, no noble cause there. If the bombing hadn't happened the Germans wouldn't have had to use massive resources to defend their cities and would have been much more difficult to defeat. We killed lots of Germans but probably saved a lot of allied lives in the process. The war would have lasted at least until August 1945 when the Atom bomb would have been used on Germany as it was on Japan.

Somebody from KE was quoted on here some time ago saying they weren't that stupid. It's been pay up in advance for some time according to that.

When I was doing my flying training I lived for a year with Wing Cmdr Rupert Oakley DSO DFC DFM AFC who did 73 missions. Flew Hampdens, Manchesters, Lancasters and Mosquitos as pathfinder and master bomber. I talked to him a lot during that time and was shown his logbook and his mothers scrap book as a result. After the war he was the first Vickers Valiant squadron commander. One of my first instructors was a Czech fighter pilot, another a Coastal command pilot, most of the Captains I flew with as a young co-pilot were ex war time pilots. One a Typhoon pilot took part in a rocketing of two passenger liners in Lubeck harbour the allies thought were taking SS etc out of Germany but found later they were packed with typhus victims. To a man, none of them moralised, tried to justify anything, they just served in the RAF, did their duty, killed the enemy and survived. They went where they were told, hated the Nazis and did all they could to win the war. Those that want to moralise now are idiots. I came to Southampton as a four year old and saw the damage done by the German bombing during the war. Whole swathes of Southampton were flattened, the Germans started area bombing in WW1 with Zeppelin raids on London, in WW2 Holland, Poland and England. The Germans paid the price.

They really are in deep mire. The players are probably hoping that they would be able to get their deferred money eventually but unless the PPs cover that they have no hope. If they are on a max £5k a week they would be better off out of it. The FL would have to see the football creditors debt repaid in full by PFC before handing over the golden share. It looks like either way they are going to get their just desserts. The quickest way for the players to get free is liquidation. Why don't they just give notice that their wage deferral is terminated forthwith. That would bring it to a head.

I would think any club already in the pyramid could have grandfather rights. A club not already in the pyramid in England would probably have to play in England. Rangers due to their liquidation, police investigation, HMRC court case, no football creditor protection would as a newco be unwelcome. It won't happen it would be like turkey's voting for Christmas to let them in. Whatever they could do, the English clubs make the decision not the authorities.

Unless the ticket is bought at the ticket office and a specific seat is requested all seats are allocated. It is not unreserved seating. I was told by the ticket line it was unreserved seating, ordered online and received an allocated reserved seat, so I went into the ticket office and swopped them for my end of row ST seat.

Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham were in the Football League before FIFA and the last war. It would not happen now. The individual players can do what they like. Rangers won't be accepted by the clubs who would be daft to vote them in. In any event they aren't even a member club of the pyramid. A club would have to drop out or be denied promotion for Rangers to get in the League and would also deny a promotion place and eventually a Premier place to an English club. It won't happen.

The ticket office say that there is no seat numbers for any of the friendlies just the block/s that have been applied for.

It won't happen as the FL won't take them. In football Scotland is a separate international entity and wouldn't even join in the olympics for fear of losing that status. Rangers would not be allowed to join the FL and play in Scotland.

Rangers wouldn't be allowed in the Football League. EUFA wouldn't allow them in European competitions, SFA would veto it and English clubs wouldn't be that daft to allow it. The cheating bastards had it good in Scotland but that wasn't enough. They cheated on paying the players and cheated the taxman. They are getting what they deserve. If they aren't getting any help in Scotland why should English clubs sacrifice themselves to allow Rangers to promote themselves through the League.

If some of the players are really peeved at PFC and the settlement is derisory and spread out over years, it could be that they will sit tight and liquidate the company then move as free agents.

The old Duke didn't have any of it though. He cut Martin McGuinness dead even when MM went to talk to him he legged it.

As a matter of fact, the Gaelic sports are played in the Six Counties, the tricolour is the national flag flying and the only anthem used is the Irish "The soldiers song". Leave well alone is the best way.

Ireland would be bloody daft to absorb the Six Counties as it would probably lead to a civil war. The protestant majority in the Six Counties would be a massive problem. They would never agree to reunification and it would have to be imposed. Even if there was a referendum in the 32 counties I suspect apart from the die hard Republicans the majority might well vote the same way as in 1923. It is not a problem they would want. The Six Counties would have been a lot smaller if the British government hadn't reneged on the promise of a referendum in 1923 for the border counties to determine whether they would rejoin the Free State.

Why would a non drinker driving in France require a breathalyser. Bureaucratic crap.

The Sherwin practice next to the library at Lordshill (Sainsbury's car park) always seem to take NH patients. I find them good.

The TO is inflexible and is not as customer service oriented as it was with David Luker, who often used common sense and often went out of his way to resolve issues.

I have no objection to people who have put in taking out. I do object to people who have contributed nothing living off benefits. Years ago the child benefit was a tax relief and worked well for the majority who worked and paid tax. One year it was abolished and an allowance paid for each child leading to the existing situation. Change it back.

Don't bother arguing, after all it's their problem