100 years ago today 18/12/1915: Remembering Serjeant William Maddocks (Age 37) 8th Bn. Hale Cemetery, United Kingdom. Husband of Florence Maddocks, of 14, Oakfield St., Altrincham.

Private Harold Hancock (Age 23) 10th Bn. Hyde Park Corner (Royal Berks) Cemetery, Belgium. Son of Mr. and Mrs. S. Hancock, of 21, Fowls Place, Nrthwich, Cheshire.

Meanwhile in World War 2:

18/12/1939: Private Frederick Slade (Age 20) 5th Bn. Helsby Cemetery, United Kingdom. Son of William Thomas Slade and Nancy Slade, of Helsby.

18/12/1943: Private Egbert Keall (Age 25) 7th Bn. Sangro River War Cemetery, Italy. Son of John and Margaret Keall, of Gateshead, Co. Durham.

also today…

218BC – battle of Trebia in Second Punic War: Hannibal beat Romans

1916 – end of battel of Verdun

happy birthday…

1878 – Joseph Stalin

1946 – Steven Speilberg (BTW thanks for ‘Jaws’, ‘Schindlers List’ and ‘Saving Private Ryan’)

1954 – Ray Liotta (great in ‘Goodfellas’)

1963 – Brad Pitt (‘Snatch’)

and we lost…

2000 – Kirsty MacColl

100 years ago today 17/12/1915: Remembering Lance Corporal  Walter Long (Age 38) 1st Bn. St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen, France. Son of Patrick and Esther Long, of Hyde; husband of S. H. Long, of 43, Hallbottom St., Newton, Hyde.

Meanwhile in World War 2:

17/12/1939: Private Joseph Glyn Clarke (Age 22) 1st Bn. Khartoum War Cemetery, Sudan. Son of William and Elizabeth Knappett, of Churton, Cheshire.

17/12/1940: Private William Henry Blease (Age 20) 5th Bn. Northwich Cemetery, United Kingdom. Son of Harry and Ellen Blease, of Greenbank, Northwich.

17/12/1944: Serjeant Walter George Burwell (Age 27) Darlington North Cemetery, United Kingdom. Husband of Elnora Burwell, of Darlington.

17/12/1946: Serjeant A Latham (Age 44) Rome War Cemetery, Italy. Son of John and Elizabeth Latham; husband of Selina Latham of Leicester.

also of interest (well, to me anyway..)….

1903: Wright brothers make first controlled flight….

1939: Admiral Graf Spee scuttled by Captain Langsdorff

1944: Malmedy massacre US POWs murdered

100 years ago today 16/12/1915: Remembering Private John William Woods 8th Bn. Helles Memorial, Turkey (including Gallipoli).

1773 – American Revolution the Boston Tea Party, where blokes disguised as Mohawk Indians dump crates of tea into Boston harbor as a protest against tax

1838 – Battle of Blood River where Voortrekkers defeat Zulu impis

1927 – Donald Bradman makes his debut in first-class cricket for New South Wales against South Australia. Batting at No. 7, he scores a century.

1944 –The Battle of the Bulge begins with German offensive in Ardennes

Happy birthday…

1485 – Catherine of Aragon (d. 1536)

1775 – Jane Austen, English author (d. 1817)

1899 – Noël Coward, English actor, playwright, and composer (d. 1973)

1961 – Bill Hicks, American comedian, actor, and singer (d. 1994)

100 years ago today 15/12/1915: Remembering Lance Corporal Robert Gregory (Age 41) 1st Bn. Citadel New Military Cemetery, Fricourt, France. Husband of Rosetta Gregory, of 97, Oakfield St., Altrincham, Cheshire.

Meanwhile in World War 2:

15/12/1940: Private Jack Eakers (Age 29) Crediton Cemetery, United Kingdom. Husband of Dorothy Louisa Eakers of Crediton.

15/12/1942: Private Harold Morgan (Age 23) 2nd Bn. Tobruk War Cemetery, Libya. Son of Daniel and Ellen Morgan, of Chester.

also….

1933 – in USA prohibition repealed….I’ll drink to that I bet the mafia didn’t celebrate that much)

1961 – Adolf Eichmann sentanced to death after trial in Israel

2014 – Lindt Cafe seige in Sydney….two dead plus the idiot terrorist (yes Clover, it WAS terrorism!). Remembering Tori Johnson and Kartina Dawson…..

happy birthday….

37AD – Emporer Nero

1921 – Bob Todd (star of Benny Hill show….”why do 99% of gargoyles look liks Bob Todd” by Half Man Half Biscuit)

1951 – Joe Jorden ex Man Utd & Scotland

1968 – Garrett Wang (Harry Kim in Star Trek ‘Voyager’)

1981 – Michelle Dockery (aka Lady Mary in ‘Downton Abbey’)

…and we lost…

1890 – Chief Sitting Bull

1944 – Gelnn Miller (I always thought it was 16th December, when Battle of Bulge started, but on reflection probably was the night before. Hit by dumped bombs from an aborted RAF raid).

98 years ago today 14/12/1917: Remembering Private Frank Barlow (Age 22) 1st/7th Bn. Jerusalem War Cemetery, Israel and Palestine (including Gaza). Son of John and Elizabeth Barlow, of New Sarepta, Alberta, Canada. Native of Macclesfield Forest, Cheshire.

Private J Counsil 1st/7th Bn. Jerusalem War Cemetery, Israel and Palestine (including Gaza).

Meanwhile in World War 2:

14/12/1942: Lance Corporal Albert Edward Atherton (Age 32) 2nd Bn. Caserta War Cemetery, Italy. Son of George and Mary Atherton, of Birkenhead; husband of E. M. Atherton, of Birkenhead.

happy birthday….

1896 – Jimmy Doolittle, who lead Doolittle Raid in 1942 (died 1993)

1946 – Anthony Beevor, excellent historian (but lighten up on Monty will you)

1972 – Miranda Hart, very funny lass……(BTW her dad (David Hart Dyke) was captain of HMS Coventry, sunk during Falklands War 1982.

we lost…

1799- George Washington

1947 – Stanley Baldwin (first Labour PM)

2013 – Peter O’Toole

100 years ago today 13/12/1915: Remembering Private  William Albert Hadley 8th Bn. Helles Memorial, Turkey (including Gallipoli).

Meanwhile in World War 2:

13/12/1940: Private Josiah Frederick Fry (Age 20) Filleigh (St. Paul) Churchyard, United Kingdom. Son of William James Mitchell Fry and Florence Louisa Fry, of Molland Botreaux.

1939: Battle of the River Plate: pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee against HMS Exeter, HMS Ajax and HMNZS Achilles.

happy birthday…

1887: Seargent Alvin York US Army (medal of honour recipient)

1949: Paula Wilcox (Man about the house)

1957: Steve Buscemi

100 years ago today 12/12/1915: Remembering Private  John Arthur Bartley (Age 20) 9th Bn. Merville Communal Cemetery, France. Son of Samuel Porter Bartley and Sarah Ellen Bartley, of 75, Bolton Rd., Port Sunlight, Cheshire.

Meanwhile in World War 2:

12/12/1940: Private Reginald George Collins (Age 30) Bradford-On-Avon Cemetery, United Kingdom. Son of Arthur Edward and Emily Annie Collins, of Bradford-On-Avon.

Private William Leslie Harris (Age 31) Treleigh (St. Stephen) Churchyard, United Kingdom. Son of William and Emily Harris, of Redruth; husband of Gwendoline Doreen Harris, of Redruth.

Private  Mervyn Reg George Lacey West Coker (St. Martin) Churchyard, United Kingdom. Husband of V. L. M. Lacey, of West Coker.

Private  Frank Robert Lillington Poole (Branksome) Cemetery, United Kingdom. Son of Frank Robert and Mary Lillington, of Parkstone.

Private  Eric Charles Morgan (Age 26) Bristol (Canford) Cemetery, United Kingdom. Son of Edward and Kate Morgan of Clifton, Bristol.

Private  William Morris (Age 29) Bristol (Arnos Vale) Cemetery, United Kingdom. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Morris, of Ashton Gate, Bristol.

also….

2000: Bush v. Gore decision handed down by US Supreme Court “Pregnant chads”.

happy birthday…

1863: Edvard Munch (paitn “scream”)

1875: Gerd von Rhundstedt (German Field Marshal)

1905: Vasily Grossman Russian jounalist

1915: Frank Sinatra

…finally happy birthday my old mate Jay

97 years ago today 11/12/1918: Remembering Private GE Collier MM (Age 21) 9th Bn. Woingt British Cemetery, France. Son of John and Elizabeth Collier, of Wallworth Terrace, Morley, Wilmslow, Manchester. Native of Stockport.

Private George Bradley (Age 31) 2nd Bn. Mikra British Cemetery, Kalamaria, Greece. Son of George and Mary Bradley, of Wilmslow, Cheshire.

Meanwhile in World War 2:

11/12/1940: Private Thomas Shaw (Age 23) 1st Bn. Alamein Memorial, Egypt. Son of Thomas Shaw, and of Mary Shaw, of Marple, Cheshire.

1941: Germany declared war on USA…..that w as good idea, how did it turn out?

1978: the Lufthansa heist pulled off by Jimmy “the gent” Burke from the Lucchaese family….. “you did it you son’s of a bitches”.

1908: not sure about this one…today is birthday of Amon Goeth, SS officer and commendant of Plaszow in Krakow (d 1946).

1964: we lost Sam Cooke (born 1931) what a great voice….

100 years ago today 10/12/1915: Remembering Private  Charles William Cantrell (Age 29) 1st/7th Bn. Helles Memorial, Turkey (including Gallipoli). Husband of May Cantrell, of 43, Grange Avenue, Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire.

Meanwhile in World War 2:

10/12/1940: Private John Hough (Age 24) 1st Bn. Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt. Son of Maurice Hough, and of Florence May Hough, of Porthill, Staffordshire.

Private  Richard Leslie Knowles (Age 21) 1st Bn.  Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt. Son of Samuel and Irene Knowles, of Hyde, Cheshire.

Private Patrick Power 1st Bn. Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt.

note: just over the Egyptian border with Libya, this would have been during the forward-and-back phase of the Desert War.

1941: HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse sunk by the Japanese

happy birthday…

…the metre 1799, adopted by France…….

…the first traffic lights outside palace of Westminster, London

and we lost Ottis Redding 1967

By the way…special thanks to the wonderful http://www.cwgc.org web site which contains such useful and accessible information.

100 years ago today 9/12/1915: Remembering Private    H Whittaker (Age 15) 6th Bn. Hyde Borough Cemetery, United Kingdom. Son of William and Frances Ann Whittaker, of Snelson, Chelford, Cheshire.

Private Thomas Arthur Swain (Age 31) 11th Bn. London Rifle Brigade Cemetery, Belgium. Son of James and E. Swain, of 5, Hall St., Barrow-In-Furness.

Meanwhile in World War 2:

9/12/1944: Lance Serjeant William Pilling (Age 23) 6th Bn. Forli War Cemetery, Italy. Son of Fred and Annie Pilling, of Timperley, Cheshire.

also……

1961 – first pisode of Corination Street on TV…”Flamin’ ‘eck”

happy birthday …

Kirk Douglas – 1916

Bob Hawke – 1929

Judi Dench – 1934

Joan Armatrading – 1960