"The Captain"

I am writing this blog to recommend the film "The Captain". I had not heard or seen anything about this film until I saw it listed in Sky Films, checked on some reviews anddecided to watch it yesterday. It is a German film, with English subtitles, based on actual events. The central character is a young conscript in the Wehrmacht during the last two weeks of WW2. He has deserted and, following a chase sequence, he finds a Luftwaffe car with a very smart Luftwaffe officer's uniform in a suitcase. He borrows the car and the uniform, adopts the persona of the officer and gathers around him a motley crew of other deserters. I am reminded of Acton's saying - "Power tends to corrupt, absolute power corrupts absolutely".

Holiday in Northumberland : Visit to Wallington Hall

We like a good stately home but it has to have a good tearoom as well. Just by chance, we drove passed these dragon heads, we thought they looked interesting, worthy of further investigation.

It is a National trust property, Wallington Hall. So we thought we would stop for a look and some tea and cake.

Leaving the car park and heading towards the stable block

Through the arch into the courtyard

where there is a shop, a garden centre and a tearoom

It's a nice house, mid 18th century, in a nice location, with a nice interior

No explanation for the bust of Napoleon

Then I found this cabinet, full of demiflats/demirondes, approx 25mm

There are about 3000 figures, mainly British and French with a few Germans and Russians

A mix of Napoleonic and late 19th century figures

At first, I thought they are CBG Mignot but the card says they were made in Germany

I'm not so sure but the charging figures are not in the Mignot book.

These Highlanders have extremely short kilts, more like miniskirts.

Still, lovely to see.

Holiday in Northumberland : Visit to Lindisfarne Castle

One of the most iconic panoramas in North East England

A model of the original castle

This is a beautiful place in a beautiful setting. Lindisfarne Castle is on Holy Island, which is not a true island, it is connected to the mainland by a causeway that is flooded for part of the day by the tide.

The white hut is a refuge if you are caught by the incoming tide

Lindisfarne Castle is misnamed. It was built in 1570 - 1572, during the reign of Elizabeth 1st as an artillery battery as part of the coastal defences. During the English Civil War it was held by Parliamentary forces. In 1715, during one of the Jacobite Rebellions, it had a garrison of two and was captured by two Jacobites who held it for a short time, waiting for reinforcements that never arrived. In 1882 it had three 64pounder cannons, manned by the Volunteer Coastal Artillery. It was abandoned in 1893.

An industrialist/entrepreneur named Edward Hudson acquired the fort in 1901 and asked his friend, the architect Edwin Lutyens, to remodel it as a country retreat. This was the last major work done on the fort. It is now a National Trust property, open to the public.

Lower Battery position, probably Napoleonic era

Lutyens designed, main entrance and kitchen block

Kitchen

Upper Battery

Bedroom wing

Long Gallery external

Upper Battery, looking back towards the stairs

Long Gallery internal