The Spectator

Before Dad’s Army

From ‘Our Home Guards’, The Spectator, 10 April 1915: There is nothing of the national picnic; or of playing at soldiers about the Home Guards. Those who enter the corps mean business, and not a good time in the open air under a series of military aliases. Some of the special features of the movement are

The Spectator at war: Righting wrong

From ‘News of the Week’, The Spectator, 10 April 1915: With much satisfaction we record that Mrs. Johnson, formerly of Redhill and now of Old Town, Croydon, has been awarded by the Home Office £500 compensation for eighteen months’ wrongful imprisonment. This unhappy woman was wrongly convicted in October, 1912, and July, 1913, of writing

The Spectator at war: Three month suspension

From ‘A Possible Compromise’, The Spectator, 10 April 1915: If the Government have not the courage to adopt total prohibition, then we reluctantly suggest the following plan. Let the Cabinet adopt the policy of the suspension of the sale of all intoxicants for three months—say from April 20th till July 20th. Such suspension would cover

Barry

‘Oh, come on, Barry! A lettuce and a sliced loaf on the way back wasn’t too much to remember.’

Ar

‘It’s been in my possession ever since I mugged the little old lady queuing up with it outside.’

Spectator letters: The modern equivalents of Unity Mitford

Unity’s modern equivalents Sir: I don’t understand why David Pryce-Jones is still banging on about the Mitfords (‘You are always close to me’, 28 March). Of course my great-aunt Unity was misguided and wrong to adore Adolf Hitler. She was not alone, though. In the 1930s millions of Germans and many non-Germans were equally in thrall