Britain is a country with a publisher producing books to stir the memories of old men

Apparently, the publisher, 'Age Exchange', produces books which :

* provide a highly entertaining and educational way of exploring living memory.

* are lively, easy to read, conversational in style and lavishly illustrated with photographs and line drawings of the time.

* tell stories in the original words of the old people we have interviewed over the last 20 years, carefully edited to help the reader to a clear sense of the period under discussion and the personality of the speaker.

So with my appetite whetted, what's on offer ?


This one sounds fun :
Reminiscence in Dementia Care

Apparently it has :
'articles by international experts who came together at a conference in London promoting imaginative and humane approaches to dementia care using reminiscence and life review.'

Living as I do in the county of Kent I might go for :
Our Lovely Hops

It is based on 'Memories of hop-picking in Kent, plus over 100 delightful photos of work and play ‘down hopping’'.

From what I remember about what my mother told me about the hop picking in Kent which she did to supplement the family income when she was a girl 90 years ago, it was hard, dirty work and not much fun and she returned home lousy with fleas and lice.
She was a bit older than she was as the little girl when this photo was taken in 1914.















When the Lights Go On Again

This one has 'Old people from South London remembering VE Day and rebuilding family life at the end of World War II.'
I lived in London, as a boy just after the War, I might try that one.

Goodnight Children Everywhere

Apparently this has :
'a remarkable collection of first hand experiences of evacuation in the Second World War. The contributors speak honestly, in many cases for the first time, about the upheaval they went through as children, illustrating their stories with letters they wrote at the time and the photos of themselves which were taken to send home to their parents.'

Mapping Memories: Reminiscence with Ethnic Minority Elders

This one :
'features the lives of 24 elders who originate from the Caribbean, Africa, India and China and reveals that researcher Meena Khatwa found that : "There was a genuine sense of contentment, excitement and at times feeling of sorrow in what was being revealed."
Sounds intriguing. I might try that one.

A Day At The Fair

More fun here :
'A collection of hilarious memories of going to the fair on Bank Holidays in the I920's and 30's.'


The fair I visited on Blackheath in South London with my family, when I was a boy 50 years ago, has transformed itself. This is what I would have seen in April this year and it is heartening to see that 3 of the items I have highlighted I recognise as survivors.

£1 Entrance Fee
£3 Dodgems
£2.50 The Terminator
£4 2xtreme (terrifying looking spinning thing seen from miles away)
£2 Waltzer
£2.50 Bounce
£3 Oblivion (another spinning thing)
£2.50 Cage
£2.50 Hook a duck
£2 Ghost train
£2 Ferris wheel
£2 Burger
£2 Candy floss

Britain is no longer a country for and says "goodbye" to an old film director called Paul Dickson

Paul Dickson who found success as a film director in film, television and and advertising has died at the age of 91.

What you possibly didn't know about Paul, that he :

* was born in Cardiff, the son of a tobacconist and went to Llandaff Cathedral School and Ellesmere College, before joining the Royal Artillery during the Second World War.

* worked as a cameraman in the Army Film Unit and then earned a directorial credit on the 'Ministry of Information' cine-magazine 'Britain Can Make It'.

As a director he :


* made 'The Undefeated' in 1950, the powerfully dramatised story of a Second World War veteran overcoming loss of limbs and speech which won the British Film Academy’s award for 'Best Documentary'.


* created 'David' about the life of school caretaker and poet David Griffiths which was the official Welsh contribution to the 'Festival of Britain' in 1951.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9aqYMaiBsw


* in the 'Calling Scotland Yard' detective series from 1954-56 worked alongside the blacklisted US director Joseph Losey.

* worked in advertising on high-profile campaigns for Martini, John Player and Birdseye during the 1950's.

* saw his career, temporarily, take a new turn when he was taken on by Hollywood studios as a 'dialogue coach' for 'Anastasia' in 1956, for which Ingrid Bergman won Best Actress Oscar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1L-qxQuWzU

* was commissioned by the Mayor of West Berlin, Willy Brandt, to produce 'A Student in Berlin' in 1963, a portrait of the city seen through the eyes of a visiting Indian student.


* in the 1970's worked on tv series 'Department S', 'Jason King' and 'The Adventurer'.

As 'Head of Direction' at the National Film School in Beaconsfield in the 1980's lectured in Sydney, Belgrade, Moscow and Łódz´ and became a mentor to a new generation of British film-makers.

A dedicated practitioner of yoga, he was also an enthusiastic sailor, cook, gardener and beekeeper.

Jason King
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XBB1nxgIjs&feature=related

His filmography at :
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0225704/

Britain is a country where old men fall prey to doorstep villains

Two bosses of a Derbyshire company which sold 'mobility aids' have been jailed for a total of seven years after admitting using 'unfair and aggressive sales tactics' on hundreds of vulnerable and disabled old people who were bullied into buying items costing thousands of pounds.

Salesmen who worked for the company had to use a handbook called 'The Door', written by the sales manager, packed with cynical tricks and scare tactics and advised them how to play on the pensioners’ emotions and fears to close deals for stairlifts, scooters, reclining chairs, beds and massage units. Working on a 'commission-only' wage and desperate to make sales, they would offer items priced massively above market value and then offer big discounts only if customers agreed to order straight away.


One example from the handbook, stated that when trying to sell stairlifts the salesmen were to ask customers :

" How long it would take for someone to find you if you had a fall and were left in a big pile at the bottom of the stairs ?"

Derby Crown Court heard how the company made about 1,000 sales across the country last year and how the County Council trading standards launched an investigation after receiving dozens of complaints of sharp practices, which included salesmen describing themselves as ‘advisers’ to would-be customers. Then sales pitches could last hours, as the old person's resistance was worn down.

Ernest Watson, disabled and 82 years old, spent 3 hours arguing with a salesman and at one stage he was so distraught as the salesman sat in silence waiting for the deal to be agreed, that he considered pressing the 'panic button' at his warden-assisted flat and then exhausted, parted with £2,000 for a 'massage chair'.

When the firm’s office, now closed, was raided by the Council last year, investigators discovered that the company had invested in extensive lists of phone numbers for people over the age of 60 and staff would then call to pretend they were doing a survey.

Paul Niblock, the Council’s investigating officer, said :

* potential customer would be quizzed about their living arrangements.

* there would then be a second call, usually the next day, to say : “We have an adviser in the area – can we come and show you our products?”



* the handbook told the salesman at the end of their sales pitch, which could last as long as five hours, to send their customer away to make a cup of tea and 'whether you drink it or not, the tea will give you 30 minutes to close your deal. They will not expect you to leave their house if you have a drink.’



One of the company directors sent to prison.













My earlier post about rogue traders :
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2010/06/britain-is-country-awash-with-rogue.html

Britain said "Happy Birthday" to Peter Noone and old men remember him as 'Herman' with his 'Hermits' when he and they were young

My friend DB has made the comment that :
'I think we need cheering up a bit this week after a run of pretty miserable stories - see what you can do for us - we are all feeling a bit glum!'

So here it is - a celebration of our youth and that of our fellow 'baby boomer', Peter Noone, singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actor, best known as 'Herman' of the 1960's rock group 'Herman's Hermits' who had his 64th birthday over the weekend.

Things you possibly didn't know about Peter, that he :

* went to a grammar school near Manchester, studied 'voice and drama' at St Bede's College and Manchester School of Music, where he won the 'Outstanding Young Musician Award'.


* at the age of 15, he became the lead singer, spokesman, and frontman of 'Herman's Hermits' and at the age of 17 in May 1965, appeared on the cover of 'Time Magazine'.

In 1965, when Peter and I were 18 years old :

Mrs Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv8k0VI9tBc

"Oh! You Pretty Thing", peaked at No.12 in the UK Singles Chart and was written by David Bowie, who also played piano on the track.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2wDYPQms78

'No Milk Today' :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf1X3aEaUj0

'I'm Into Something Good' :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxDh2sYQRpo

'My Sentimental Friend' :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hXQpi2Cxy8
















Peter singing 'No Milk Today' last year :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzy48yavs7Y&feature=related

O.K. DB, did that cheer you up ?

Britain is a country where old men are abused within the 'safety' of their own homes

Four years ago in 2007 an article in 'The Telegraph' newspaper was headlined :

Hundreds of thousands of elderly people are being subjected to appalling abuse in their own homes, according to a report today.

At the time the UK Study of 'Abuse and Neglect Report', based on a survey of 2,000 people who lived in their own homes and based on the concept of abuse based on psychological, physical, financial, sexual and neglect, found that :

* 342,000 old people had been victims of abuse, and 105,000 people had suffered 10 or more separate instances of neglect.

* 53% of the abusers lived in the old person's home and of those, 65% of perpetrators were recorded as having committed physical, psychological or sexual abuse and two-thirds of abuse was committed by someone in a 'position of trust'.


'Help The Aged', at the time, said that :

'as many as 500,000 elderly people may be neglected and abused by carers or relatives.'


Action on Elder Abuse said that :

'Greedy middle-aged sons and daughters were the people most likely to rob their parents of money, valuables and even their homes.'


'research to examine why the problem appeared to be worse in Wales since 6% of old people had been mistreated in Wales, compared with 4.3% in Scotland, 3.9% in England and 3% in Northern Ireland.

The Chief Executive, Gary FitzGerald, said:

"We need to understand better what is happening in Wales. Consequently, we are now calling upon the Welsh Assembly to fund further research into this issue, to discover why older people are more likely to face abuse in Wales than in any other UK nation."


Care Services Minister of the time, Ivan Lewis, told BBC Radio that :

"The findings are disturbing. I think there are real cultural issues in our society in the way we treat older people. What we need to aim for is a society where we are as outraged by the abuse and neglect of an older person as we are by the abuse of a child, and we are a long, long way from it."

Fast forward to 2011 and a few days ago and what did I read in the 'Daily Mail' newspaper, :

What an absolute scandal: 500 claims a week of abuse and neglect of the elderly
A quarter of alleged abusers were relatives.

One in three cases involved physical harm
Government minister calls figures 'absolute scandal'.

The figures, the first the Health Service has published on suspected abuse of the elderly, revealed that :

* 500 cases of abuse and neglect of the elderly are being reported every week.

* social services were called in to investigate 25,240 incidents last year including some where care home residents had been locked in bedrooms, tied to chairs or left to go hungry or thirsty.


Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director of 'Age UK', said:

"These figures show shocking mistreatment of the most vulnerable in our society.
It is extremely worrying to see such high levels of neglect and abuse in residential home settings. The figures also raise concerns about the quality of domiciliary care, which is delivered in a person’s home behind closed doors and so problems are likely to be under reported."


Paul Burstow, the Care Services Minister, said:
"These figures are an absolute scandal; no one should have to put up with abuse."

Britain was no country for old men wanting to be safe in their own homes in 2007 and is no country for old men wanting to be safe in their own homes today.

Britain is no longer a country for and says "Goodbye" to Adrian Cowell, champion of the Amazon rainforest and its indians

Adrian Cowell, campaigning journalist and film-maker who spent 10 years in the Amazon rainforest, shooting films for 'Decade of Destruction' which alerted the World to the plight of the forest and its 'hidden' tribes, has died at the age of 77.

What you may not have known about Adrian, that he :

* was born in Tongshan, China, where his father worked for a coal mining consortium, moved to Australia and then Britain where he studied at Ampleforth College in Yorkshire and then 'history' at St Catharine's College, Cambridge.

* took part in the 1955 Oxford and Cambridge 'Far Eastern Expedition' which passed through Afghanistan and Burma and was recorded for the BBC's 1956 'Traveller's Tales series', produced by the young David Attenborough.

* took part of a 1956 expedition in the Brazilian Rainforest, collecting material for his 1960 book, 'The Heart of the Forest' and then worked for the BBC, directing three 'Carnival of Violence' documentaries about the effects of western civilisation on Peruvian Indians.


* moved to ITV and with cameraman Chris Menges, joined Tibetan guerrillas as they attacked a Chinese military convoy, filmed in the 1966 Prix Italia-winning 'Raid into Tibet', which was an early example of his tenacity in bringing unreported stories to the outside world.

* returned to a Burma under military dictatorship and in 1966 filmed 'The Unknown War' about the Shan guerrillas in the remote Shan state and also footage for 'The Opium Trail'.
The Heroin Wars :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syr3tot5nnU

* was back in Brazil for the award-winning 1970, 'The Tribe That Hides from Man' and trekked through the Amazon to make contact with Indians not previously seen by the outside world.
The Tribe that hides from Man :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNzowYpovTw

* in Burma again in 1974, took footage for 'The Opium Warlords', was trapped for 18 months, survived several ambushes and produced the series 'Opium' in 1978.


* shot his 'Decade of Destruction' series films, over 10 years between 1980 and 1990, alerted the world to the systematic ravaging of the Amazon rainforest and helped make the environment a political issue.











* filmed colonists given plots of land by the Brazilian government as they invaded territory of a previously uncontacted tribe and began deforestation, included this in the first film, the 1984 'The Ashes of the Forest'.


* after discovering that the World Bank was lending nearly half a billion dollars to the colonisation project, screened his footage in the USA at congressional hearings which was instrumental in the US cutting 20% from its annual donation to the World Bank and documented the saga in his 1987, 'Banking On Disaster'.


* used the murder of Chico Mendes, a rubber-tappers' union leader and environmentalist with whom he had worked, in his film 1990 film, 'The Crusade for the Forest' about the struggle to organise traditional communities to protect their lands.
Talking about Chico :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGdvAnqSFA4

* when making 'Fires of the Amazon' in 2002 for the BBC's 'Correspondent Series', found evidence of protected rubber-tapper reserves and sustainable logging of timber, but also road building by the Brazilian government which would cause further deforestation.
Fires of the Amazon :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzEPa5K1OJw

My admiration goes to an old Brit who crammed so much into his 74 years and campaigned so strenuously to make our world a better place.

Adrian's 67 minute, 'The Tribe That Hides From Man' :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhAvuPlhdNA

Britain is no country for the memorials of old soldiers

This photo of Vicar Kevin Scott at The Old Malden monument, in Surrey, after thieves pushed it the ground to steal a strip of lead worth £5.








A Daily Mail newspaper article was recently headlined :

Sacred memories sold as scrap: Clampdown on dealers who encourage pillage of war memorials, demand police.

Apparently, a spate of theft of statues and brass plaques and vandalism has wrecked hundreds of military monuments across the country, which provide the setting for services commemorating those who lost their lives in action.




Frances Moreton, Director of the War Memorials Trust, said there had been a sharp increase in thefts as the price of metal has risen on the world market. "We used to hear of one theft a week at the start of the year, it rose to two or three over the summer. There have been cases of stuff being put of for sale on the Internet but increasingly it is the case of metal being stolen because of its value.
It’s very sad to see memorials being targeted and the names of those who have given their lives for their country being lost."

Only a handful of metal thieves who steal war memorials have ever been brought to justice and only one in ten of the stolen plaques and statues are ever recovered.


What a sad country Britain has become.







Ealier posts where I have featured old servicemen :

Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Britain, once a country enthusiastic for war, thought it had said "goodbye" to it at 11 o'clock in the morning on the 11th of November 1918
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2010/11/britain-was-once-country-enthusiastic.html

Thursday, 5 May 2011
Britain is a country which says "Goodbye" to Claude Choules the last remaining veteran warrior who fought for Britain in The First World War

http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2011/05/britain-is-country-which-says-goodbye.html

Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Britain is a country where theives rob its old soldiers called Chelsea Pensioners
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2010/11/britain-is-country-where-theives-rob.html

Sunday, 4 October 2009
Britain is a country where some remarkable and ordinary old men still live
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2009/10/britain-is-still-country-where-some.html

Monday, 17 October 2011
Britain is a country for less and less old men who fought in The Second World War and tell their story for the last time
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2011/10/britain-is-country-for-less-and-less.html

Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Britain is still a country which remembers its 'Old Soldiers' like 109 years old Claude Choules
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2010/11/britain-is-still-country-which.html

Thursday, 19 August 2010
Britain is a country of fewer and fewer old men who, when young, fought Japan in The Second World War

http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2010/08/britain-is-country-of-fewer-and-fewer.html

Monday, 25 July 2011
Britain is no country for sad old men who once fought for it in the Second World War and now think they have lost it
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2011/07/britain-is-no-country-for-sad-old-men.html

P.S.

The image of a drunk student urinating on a war memorial provoked a furious backlash from relatives who had laid wreaths of poppies in tribute to their loved ones back in 2009.

Britain is a country where doctors need a handbook instructing them on how to treat old patients with respect

The front page of the 'Daily Mail' newspaper yesterday was headlined :

DOCTORS ORDERED TO TREAT OLD WITH RESPECT... but shouldn't that go without saying?


Apparently, the General Medical Council has drawn up new guidelines for doctors reminding them that their care does not begin and end with providing clinical treatment and they :

* are urged to be ‘guardians of patient safety’ and take the lead whenever there is a risk that 'dignity or comfort' are being compromised.

* have a duty to take ‘prompt action’ in hospitals, whenever there are ‘problems with basic care for patients who are unable to drink, feed or clean themselves’.

* if found to be in breach of the instructions, could be hauled in front of a General Medical Council and and in extreme cases struck off.




Niall Dickson, Chief Executive of the Council said:

" Our current guidance already sets out a doctor’s duty to raise concerns where they feel that patient safety is at risk. We wanted to make it even clearer that doctors have a leading role to take prompt action if they identify problems."

Campaigners, however, say it is ‘very worrying’ that doctors need to be instructed about their basic duties such as ensuring patients are helped to eat, drink or go to the lavatory.






Joyce Robbins of Patient Concern said:
" It’s terrifying that such guidance should be needed. What we would like to see is the GMC taking strict action against those doctors in charge of patients who are being neglected.’



Katherine Murphy, Chief Executive of the Patients Association said that :

'Such guidelines should be part of the norm. Doctors should see a patient as a human and whatever their need they should be able to provide it. It should be as much a doctor’s responsibility as any other member of staff. Their duties go beyond clinical care and include dignity and respect. It’s surprising and worrying that doctors need to be reminded.’

So old men of Britain, languishing in hospital wards, can take heart, they have champions to their cause in the shape of campaigners, Joyce and Catherine and the protection of Chief Executive, Niall.
They can rest easy in their beds in the certainty that now, all will be well and particularly in view of my earlier posts :

Sunday, 16 October 2011

Britain is a country where many old men in hospital, as in society in general, receive neither care nor respect.
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2011/10/britain-is-country-where-many-old-men_16.html

Monday, 10 October 2011

Britain is no country for thirsty and hungry old men in some hospitals.
http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.com/2011/10/britain-is-no-country-for-thirsty-and.html

Britain is country which says "Goodbye" Colonel Peter Storie-Pugh, the once and last surviving prisoner of Colditz Castle

The last surviving Second World War 'Colditz Castle' prisoner, Colonel Peter Storie-Pugh, who was involved in 21 escape attempts has died at the age of 91.



Things you possible didn't know about Peter, that he :



* was sent to the high security German prison in 1940 as a 21 year old lieutenant who was classified as 'a prisoner who would persistently try to escape' and the last of British servicemen which included legendary figures such as Pat Reid, author of the book that was the basis for the 1955 film 'The Colditz Story.'

The acrobatic escape :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY8jMkIbwDM


* was captured in May 1940 during the withdrawal to Dunkirk, escaped from prison camp, was re-captured on November 1, 1940 his 21st birthday, imprisoned in Spangenberg Castle, escaped again and later said "I stayed outside when everybody else went in after roll call, I got into a drain, crawled around and cut through the wire."

* was again captured, then transferred under heavy guard to Colditz and later said : "I’d never heard of it before,but it was daunting, a whopping great castle. I remember the smell of disinfectant struck me. The Germans had a thing about lice."

* had his first involvement in an escape in the ‘Canteen Tunnel’ which involved 13 men making an unsuccessful attempt to escape through the sewer system to a lawn near a wall that was only 12ft high.

* said: "The Germans knew about some of the tunnels, I think, they let it go on and timed the moment of discovery to dent morale."

* in 1942, attempted another escape by tunnel with two Dutch prisoners who were discovered by the guards and he was quick-witted enough to use the confusion to save a valuable bag of escape tools from being found by throwing it over the Germans’ heads to waiting comrades.

* never gave up trying to escape and also helped others to break out of the castle and finally tasted freedom when Colditz was liberated by the Americans at the end of the War.

* after the War, felt no bitterness towards his former guards and even invited Hauptmann Reinhold Eggers, the Colditz 'Chief of Security', to his second wedding in 1971.

Peter,in the photo, on the far right with 5 other erstwhile prisoners who returned to Colditz.



Prisoner reminiscences of life in Coldittz from men who have all now gone :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJC7ivpH6qc&feature=related

Peter himself on a visit to Colditz :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlN0LGF9GcM

I wonder what, at the end of his days, Peter thought of Britain ? Did he recognise the country he once 'fought for' and attempted to 'escape for' when he was a young man all those years ago ?