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The chair is Edwardian.

Again from Wikipedia ( I don't know how to attach links!) under ''Dunkirk evacuation'' section ''Aftermath'' : '' ... British ships ferried French troops to Brest, Chervbourg and other ports in Normandy and Britany, although only about half of the repatriated troops were deployed against the...

The Norfolk Jacket was in fashionable use well before the death of Queen Victoria; but the addition of the short-brimmed cap, together with the sailor/shawl collar suggests the Edwardian period, somewhere between 1906-10.

My first ever shot-gun was a single-barrel Greener G.P (general purpose) 12 bore, with a Martini-type rolling breach-block (I think that was what it was called? The chamber was opened by a lever beneath the stock, a bit like a Winchester rifle.). It was very plain, but beautifully made. It...

Old Boy - the author says is he isn't a Francophobe; but enjoys correcting 'French History' as it is written by the French. I've just checked the numbers of French soldiers rescued at Dunkirk, on Wikipedia. It says 139,997 were taken back to Britain. As to how they returned to France; I...

Something I wasn't aware of, until I read Stephen Clarke's book ''1000 Years of Annoying the French'' : of the nearly one hundred and forty thousand French soldiers evacuated from Dunkirk, only seven thousand stayed in Britain to continue the fight. The rest chose to return to France, to...

Ray - so what's new eh?

Bernie, the factory didn't seem to have much luck - it burnt down three times! A very interesting read, ta.

Excellent; I really enjoyed browsing-through. Ta!

I was last there around ten years ago, with a friend from Northumberland; he was utterly gob-smacked! We often used to stop-off at the Crooked House on our way back from Arley, in the fifties and sixties ... I never tired of the 'marble' trick! Thank you for bringing back happy...

Excellent work lads! I shall attempt to contact the author, Stephen Clarke and ask for his source on this matter.

I think the Brummagem engineer was just that, an engineer....and not some political radical. I can imagine him with a pencil behind his ear, asking technical questions like ''do you want them segmented, or plain; I would recommend fragmentation for your shrapnel-spread, but plain for your...

Chesh, yes, the Sharpe books were great. I've just finished reading ten or so books by Bernard Knight (a retired pathologist) called the : Crowner John Mysteries'' - about a Norman/Saxon Coroner of the 12th, Century .... both interesting and informative!

I'm currently reading a very funny, and informative book by Stephen Clarke, called: ''1000 Years of Annoying the French''. He mentions an assassination attempt made by a group of Italian nationalists exiled in Britain, in 1858. Apparently they commissioned a BIRMINGHAM engineer to make them...

Mike Blakemore, just on the off-chance, you didn't have a relative who was a maths teacher in West Brom'?

danimac - thanks for that! My both my Grandmother and my Dad used to say ''Never in the Reign of Pigs Pudding!'' when exclaiming at something unexpected; or something difficult to believe. My Mom used to say ''If wishes were kisses we'd all have chapped-lips!'' Mind you, she was from Tipton!

Al, were they really chosen from a hat? If so, the method showed a remarkable bias towards 'public-school boys' who were represented way beyond their actual numbers; in comparison, that is. Perhaps 'age' was a factor; as many non public-school boys might have already been working in...

Brilliant, I enjoyed that ta!

I always really enjoy these photo' improvement and 'speculation' posts ... something to get one's teeth into!

I think this situation is pretty general across the country; with the possible exception of 'farmer's markets' which appear, in certain areas, to be going from strength to strength.