The definition of slang according to the Oxford Dictionary is'a type of language consisting of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal are more common in speech than in writing and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people'. Thus, the choice of a phrase, or the use of 'jargon', a saying, or abbreviation, can accurately reflect our links to a specific place, employment or situations that impact upon us in our everyday lives. In the UK alone it is estimated that there are at least fifty-six regional interpretations of how we use English to convey our feelings and to communicate with one another. This little book contains some 2,000 such phrases, sayings and abbreviations drawn together, in the main,from the experiences of one family. It manifestly displays what a diverse world we now live in as families transcend different cultures and countries. It is not an academic study, rather it is designed to promote memories, to enable reflection on previous life experiences and, above all else, to simply have some fun whilst reading it. Preserving our past whilst understanding the present helps us to create history for the future as new generations go on to create their own versions of 'slang' applicable to that period. 'Ta-Ra-A-Bit'.

Proud to Serve chronicles the journey of one police officer between 1999 and 2004 as he worked with key community influencers and colleagues to tackle the challenges of policing diverse communities. Whether working to recruit more black and minority ethnic staff into the West Midlands Police, engaging with counterparts in India and the UK to tackle 'Forced Marriages' or simply making communities safer in Cyprus this illustrated book straddles continents as that journey unfolds. It contains recollections including from Paul Lewin, founding chair of the West Midlands Black Police Association who said of his work, 'Our legacy has been about learning from the past, living in the present in order to build and improve for the future. I am proud that we did our best. Ultimately, this will be for others to judge'. Michael Layton concludes, 'From Willenhall in the Black Country to Delhi and the Punjab, and finally Cyprus - was the journey worth it - of course it was!'

Deep in the beautiful Worcestershire countryside lie a number of secret places that played a special part in protecting a generation from the onslaught of a world war. Travellers passing through leafy Worcestershire lanes may catch a glimpse of a structure that seems out of place against the backdrop of fields and hills – the dish of a gigantic radio telescope. How did such an incongruous structure arrive in the middle of nowhere, and what does it do? This book answers the question, and recounts the dramatic history of two 'Top Secret' wartime airfields, and how their activities were inextricably linked to the 'boffins' of the Malvern Telecommunications Research Establishment. It tells the story of brilliant inventions, wartime courage and sacrifice, tragic air crashes, and ordinary and extraordinary people, pushing themselves and their machines to the limit and beyond. Crafted using personal recollections – the book reveals the truly extraordinary wartime commitment and camaraderie that fuelled extraordinary endeavour and achievement.

'On an average Saturday, some thirty trains carried police escorts of between two and eight officers. Officers sometimes reached the destination with their uniforms soiled with spittle, and other filth, burnt with cigarette ends, or slashed.' Charting the history of violent acts committed by football hooligans on the British rail network and London Underground, numerous retired police officers offer a frightening, and often humorous, insight into how they battled 'the English disease'. Recalling incidents of random, mindless violence, as well as organised acts carried out by some of the country's top hooligan firms, the authors document the times where nothing but a truncheon and the power of speech stood between order and chaos. Exploring a period of fifty years, retired officers Michael Layton and Alan Pacey pay particular attention to the turbulent and dangerous times faced by the police in the 1970s and 1980s, when hooliganism in the United Kingdom was at its peak, as well as exploring more recent instances of disorder. Tracking the Hooligans is an essential account of the uglier side of the beautiful game, and a fitting tribute to those who gave their time, and sometimes their lives, keeping the public safe.