One of my contacts brought this film to my attention a few years ago, and I tracked it down on Crave. It is a complete coincidence that this movie also has Colin Firth in a supporting role (see my earlier post about the Operation Mincemeat film). Add in Kenneth Branagh and Stanley Tucci… and I […]
Film Review – Conspiracy (2001) Read More »
After reading the book, Young, Brave and Beautiful, which tells the tale of SOE agent Violette Szabo, I realized I needed to watch a vintage movie of her life. Carve her Name with Pride (1958) tells the tale of Violette and some of her compatriots. Starring Virginia McKenna and Paul Scofield, I had a bit
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The Book Young, Brave and Beautiful: The Missions of Special Operations Executive Agent Lieutenant Violette Szabô, George Cross, Croix de Guerre avec Étoile de Bronze, Tania Szabó, The History Press. 2015. Background I have had this book on my shelf for several years (eight in fact). I bought it in 2016 on the recommendation of
Book Review – Young, Brave and Beautiful – Tania Szabó (2015) Read More »
I admit to being a fan of Colin Firth, and the two movies I’ve watched recently just happen to have him in both! Operation Mincemeat was the code name assigned to a British wartime deception in 1943. In trying to convince the Germans that they planned to invade Greece (and not Sicily), a crazy plan
Film Review – Operation Mincemeat (2022) Read More »
There are so very many podcast, videos, blog posts and articles about Bella in the Wych Elm. Including this one! Every time one pops up, I take a look at it and usually, I am disappointed. Most of them just seem to be a regurgitation or rehashing of other, often erroneous, articles/posts/videos. They just add
Muddy Media Articles: Bella in the Wych Elm Read More »
I must admit that I have a bit of a backlog of communications from the last couple of years. I seem to have held them in my email inbox with a mental note to: (a) report this in the blog and (b) reply to the sender. It seems I didn’t manage either of those all
From the Mailbox: Spies, Interrogators, Fraudsters and Attorneys – November 2024 Read More »
Lily Knips, as many of you know, was a German Jewess who lived in Berlin prior to the Second World War. Her second husband, a non-Jew, had passed away earlier in the 1930s and she was alone in the city. Her only child, Lothar Sauer, had gone to England in the mid-1930s to study and
Haunted By History: Interview with Lily Knips’ Granddaughter Read More »
N.B. This is Part 5 of a 5-part series on Ely Goldsmith. Links to earlier articles are at the bottom of this post. Introduction We’ve learned a lot about Ely Goldsmith over the last four blog posts. He left a very large footprint in the court records and press. But what of his family? His
The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 5: Virtually Invisible Female Relations Read More »
NB. This is Part 4 of a 5-part series on H. Ely Goldsmith. Links to other articles are at the bottom of this post. Introduction As the 1930s dawned, we find Ely in and out of prison. Released from the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, he was immediately taken into custody for financial fraud. He did
The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 4 – The Cuban Connection Read More »
N.B. This is Part 3 of a 5-part series on H. Ely Goldsmith. Previous blog post links are at the bottom of this post. Introduction In the previous installment of this series, we witnessed Ely slide from a legitimate, presumably successful accountant to a sketchy, unqualified immigration consultant. Ely also put the American justice system
The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 3: Unrepentant Convicted Felon Read More »