And how did he become the husband of Queen Elizabeth II? — Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II and father to Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. He was also a grandfather and great grandfather. Anyone who didn’t know his background would assume he came from the British royal family. …

A training exercise which was worse than the real event — About 20 years ago a WW2 veteran told me a story which he had kept secret for over 50 years. As he is no longer with us, and because there are similar accounts online, I feel now is the right time to share the information. One summer’s day, my wife…

Wilding project thinks big — Apart from deer and semi wild ponies, Britain is not known for having large mammals, but if a new project goes to plan in 2022, European Bison may be added to the list. Kent Wildlife Trust and Wildwood Trust are launching a project called Wilder Blean, which will be funded…

Cornish satellite station to receive UK’s first signal from Mars — One of the oldest and largest satellite earth stations in the world, based in Cornwall, will receive the UK’s first ever direct transmission from the planet Mars. Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station is located on Goonhilly Downs on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall, not far from Helston. Its first dish Antenna…

Does it matter, she’s only acting? — Have you ever watched a period drama and noticed something which shouldn’t be in the film? Some people check every frame looking for the tiniest mistake, while others don’t seem to care. I guess I am somewhere in between; I like things to be right, so a modern street sign…

But after a week of publicity the region will probably be forgotten — The 47th G7 Summit is planned to be held in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, 11–13 June 2021. In addition to the seven member states and representatives from the European Union, leaders from Australia, India and South Korea have also been invited. …

Prydyth an Pry (Poet of the Clay) — Biography Reginald John (Jack) Clemo was born in Goonamarris, near St Austell in Cornwall on the 11th of March 1916. His father, also called Reginald was killed at sea during the First World War, so Jack was raised by his mother Eveline. The daughter of a preacher, she was deeply religious…

A welcome return or an unwanted pest? — Hunted to extinction over 400 years ago, beavers have only been seen in zoos and wildlife parks, until recently. Now, following some unexplained appearances and a number of official release projects, they are back in Britain once more. However, their reintroduction is not welcomed by everyone. What is a beaver? Beavers are large, semi…

How can removing a safety lane be a smart idea? — If you are unfortunate enough to break down on a motorway, you try and get to the hard shoulder and then phone for assistance. However, if you are on a so called “smart" motorway, there is no hard shoulder. …