The Joy of Six 1318

Doree Lewak on the 17 year old from New York who solved a family mystery on a recent visit to Auschwitz: "While touring an exhibit of children’s artwork at the notorious death camp,17-year-old Bronx native, Yuval, made a shocking discovery amid the drawings of guards with guns and trains. Alongside the artwork, he noticed the name of his grandfather’s brother, 13-year-old Freddy Popper, whose fate was lost to his family - and history."

"Wilkie is talking about something that has become an increasing refrain in Western capitals - that Ukraine’s military difficulties are not down to a lack of Western support but down to Ukraine’s failure to mobilise its population into the military." Arthur Snell finds that the West is already rehearsing the excuses for its coming betrayal of Ukraine.

Pam Jarvis argues that the jury is still out on the quality of England’s 'improved' state schools, and on the impact of large Multi-Academy Trusts, with their superannuated non-teaching chief executives and directors in particular.

When people have fewer places to socialise they are more likely to turn to populism, says Jeevun Sandher, the Labour MP for Loughborough.

"At the peak of his business Teesside-based court reporter Peter Holbert could make more than £5,000 per week (in 1970s money!). At the end of January 2025, at the age of 84, he will be covering his last case. He says in recent years demand for his services has almost completely dried up from both local and national media." Dominic Ponsford tells a tale that sums up the decline and fall of the regional press.

Andrew Male defends the genius of 'Allo 'Allo against a modern puritan critic: "As much as it derived its humour from the war itself, 'Allo 'Allo! was also lampooning the tropes of serious BBC drama. In fact, many of 'Allo 'Allo!’s archetypes – the covert beret-sporting female Resistance member, the kind Nazi, the bosomy waitress – are based on Glaister's original characters (in a sly moment of industry subversion David Croft even re-employed some of Secret Army’s actors within the 'Allo 'Allo! cast)."