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Tag Archives: Honourable Artillery Company

The Gentleman’s Marathon

On my attempt to run 26.2 miles, in Pheidippides’ footsteps. — For The Critic

An Oxford squaddie

From deer park to gun park… . Sixteen years ago, American and British forces hurled themselves into Afghanistan the same week I arrived at Magdalen College, Oxford. I didn’t give them much thought – although the ‘War on Terror’ was immediately everywhere. I had an Egyptology degree to get to grips with; and choral evensong […]

Veterans of modern wars

In a mid-September interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Baron Richards of Herstmonceux (GCB, CBE, DSO, DL – better known as General David Richards, former Chief of the Defence Staff) made a comment to the effect that “a part-time soldier cannot be as effective as someone who’s devoted his life to it and puts on a […]

Diary of an ordinary week

Monday Interview with retiring British tenor Ian Partridge, at RAM. Highlights: IP’s piano teacher at Clifton had only one arm, which, while apparently being no hindrance at the keyboard, didn’t help his driving any; IP once hit 78 n.o. (a career best) in an effort to avoid an organ lesson with same; and once, while […]