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This fascinating and insightful book tells the thrilling story of
the SS Canberra, the luxury passenger liner which was requesitioned
as a troop transport in the Falkands War. Vast and brilliant white,
P&O's flagship the SS Canberra was a final salute to a bygone
era of opulence even as she embarked on her maiden voyage, For a
decade she carried passengers between Britain and Australia, a
90-day voyage of pampering and decadence. But in March 1982,
Britain went to war to defend the Falkland Islands and the SS
Canberra found herself, surreally, requisitioned as a troop ship to
carry the Marines and Paratroops into battle. Against all odds she
surived, playing a vital role as a hospital ship, and at the end of
the war she arrived back in Southampton to a hero's welcome, where
she became fondly known as the Great White Whale. This is the
extraordinary and, as yet, untold story of how the crew of a luxury
ocean liner - waiters, cooks, nurses and cleaners - found
themselves suddenly thrust onto the front line. A Very Strange Way
to Go to War is a candid and captivating story, drawing from first
hand accounts and previously unpublished archives, of the heroic
courage of ordinary British men and women in the face of great
adversity, at the outpost of empire.
Quite simply, Last of the Summer Wine is the longest-running
comedy programme in the world. It premiered 37 years ago, in 1973,
and, after 31 series it finally came to an end last year - even
though all its original protagonists - Compo, Foggy, even Nora
Batty - are now dead. Remarkably, for a series of such longevity
and international appeal, it is all about elderly people, has
little action or plot, and is set and filmed in and around the
small Yorkshire town of Holmfirth. Now, Andrew Vine, the deputy
editor of Yorkshire's daily newspaper, has written the definitive
history of this television phenomenon. It covers the show's
inauspicious beginnings, with low ratings, its endless reinvention
as participants like Bill Owen, Michael Bates, Brian Wilde and
Kathy Staff retired or died, the appearance of a string of guest
stars from John Cleese and Norman Wisdom to Thora Hird and Russ
Abbott (both of whom soon found themselves fixtures in the cast),
and the ingenious plot contrivances as the protagonists became too
old and frail to attempt any of the slapstick stunts with runaway
prams - indeed any outdoor action. Holmfirth is now a year-round
tourist attraction, and endless repeats and new DVD box sets will
ensure a readership for this book for years to come.
The Yorkshire coastline is the second most visited tourist
destination in England - and here is a walking guide to its entire
length? From Redcar all the way south to Bridlington, and then on
along Spurn Point on the Humber, is magnificent clifftop and
seaside walking. The route takes in scenic holiday hotspots like
Whitby, Scarborough, Filey and Robin Hood's Bay, magnificent
seabird cliffs at Bempton and Flamborough, not to mention steam
railways, Winifred Holtby's South Riding and the home of Dracula.
Now Andrew Vine, an experienced walker and distinguished Yorkshire
journalist, has written the definitive walking guide, full of
colour photos, and the whole route covered with OS large-scale
maps. It is an essential purchase for the serious walker and the
afternoon stroller alike.
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