Original, Antique, Victorian Household Cavalry Armour Breastplate Cuirass of the LifeGuards, The Blues &The Royals. the Mounted Personal Bodyguard Regiments of the British Monarch, Part of The Household Division

With With brass edge trim & rivets. It bears the ordnance inspection stamps. Used by all of H.M.Queen Victoria's Household Cavalry regiments.

During a visit to the Tower several decades ago, thanks to an invitation by our friend Howard Blackmore {historian and assistant curator at the Tower} we had a discussion, amongst many other subjects, of the conversion of the Life Guards and Horseguards back to armoured heavy cavalry, after around 150 years of un-armoured service as the monarch's mounted guard since the 17th century.

This is one of those early cuirass breast plates created for the newly armoured horse guards regiments.

From 1661 to 1778, the Life Guards Troops saw action in the Jacobite Wars, the Second Dutch War
(when they served as sailors) ant the War of the Austrian Succession. In 1778 the four Horse
Guard Troops and Horse Grenadiers re-formed as the 1st Life Guards. Both Regiments fought
with distinction in the Waterloo campaign.
For the Egyptian War of 1882, Life Guards formed a Composite Household Cavalry
Regiment with the Royal Horse Guards, making Royal Horse Guards, making the famous
moonlight charge at Kassain. In 1894, for the relief of Khartoum, both Regiments contributed
soldiers to the Heavy Camel Regiment and were again formed as a Composite Household
Cavalry Regiment for the 2nd Boer War in 1900

The Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons), initially known as The Tangier Horse, were raised by
King Charles II to form part of the garrison at Tangier, which had been acquired on his
marriage to Catherine of Braganza as part of her dowry. Known as The Royals, during the
18th century the Regiment saw service in most of the same wars as The Blues, including the
Peninsula campaign and Waterloo, where the Regiment famously captured the Eagle of the
French 105th Infantry Regiment. However, in the 19th century, unlike The Blues, The Royals
saw service in the Crimea and in India.

The rear photo shows some current, modern, hanging chains used to display the breastplate on a wall, these can easily be removed if not required.  read more

Code: 25493

A Beautiful Ancient Bronze and Enamel Book Clasp Around 1100 Years Old. From the Era of Anglo Saxon England & The Viking Incursions into Britain Through to The Early Crusades Period

Circa 10th-12th century AD. A stunning and most beautiful antiquity perfect for an antiquarian bibliophile as an example of the rarest of artefacts used to protect valuable volumes illuminated manuscripts and testaments.

A small and most intricate gem from the days of the Anglo Saxon’s and Vikings.

Originally from the Christian Eastern Roman Empire. A bronze tongue-shaped clasp with pelleted border and reserved peacock on an enamelled field. Anglo Saxon to early Norman period. Very fine condition. Two examples in the gallery show a 1000 year old book and a 1000 year old old testament that both had clasps such as this. The Bible is an ancient text. Like every other ancient text, the originals have not survived the ravages of time. What we have are ancient copies of the original which date to hundreds of years after their composition, for example from around 700 AD This is normal for ancient texts. For example, Julius Caesar chronicled his conquest of Gaul in his work On The Gallic War in the first century B.C. The earliest manuscript in existence dates to the 8th century AD, some 900 years later. The oldest biblical text is on the Hinnom Scrolls ? two silver amulets that date to the seventh century B.C. These rolled-up pieces of silver were discovered in 1979-80, during excavations led by Gabriel Barklay in a series of burial caves at Ketef Hinnom. When the silver scrolls were unrolled and translated, they revealed the priestly Benediction from Num 6:24-26 reading, ?May Yahweh bless you and keep you; May Yahweh cause his face to Shine upon you and grant you Peace.?6 The Ketef Hinnom scrolls contain the oldest portion of Scripture ever found outside of the Bible and significantly predate even the earliest Dead Sea Scrolls. They also contain the oldest extra-biblical reference to YHWH. Given their early date, they provide evidence that the books of Moses were not written in the exilic or postexilic period as some critics have suggested.


Richard Lassels, an expatriate Roman Catholic priest, first used the phrase “Grand Tour” in his 1670 book Voyage to Italy, published posthumously in Paris in 1670. In its introduction, Lassels listed four areas in which travel furnished "an accomplished, consummate traveler" with opportunities to experience first hand the intellectual, the social, the ethical, and the political life of the Continent.

The English gentry of the 17th century believed that what a person knew came from the physical stimuli to which he or she has been exposed. Thus, being on-site and seeing famous works of art and history was an all important part of the Grand Tour. So most Grand Tourists spent the majority of their time visiting museums and historic sites.

Once young men began embarking on these journeys, additional guidebooks and tour guides began to appear to meet the needs of the 20-something male and female travelers and their tutors traveling a standard European itinerary. They carried letters of reference and introduction with them as they departed from southern England, enabling them to access money and invitations along the way.

With nearly unlimited funds, aristocratic connections and months or years to roam, these wealthy young tourists commissioned paintings, perfected their language skills and mingled with the upper crust of the Continent.

The wealthy believed the primary value of the Grand Tour lay in the exposure both to classical antiquity and the Renaissance, and to the aristocratic and fashionably polite society of the European continent. In addition, it provided the only opportunity to view specific works of art, and possibly the only chance to hear certain music. A Grand Tour could last from several months to several years. The youthful Grand Tourists usually traveled in the company of a Cicerone, a knowledgeable guide or tutor.

The ‘Grand Tour’ era of classical acquisitions from history existed up to around the 1850’s, and extended around the whole of Europe, Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, and the Holy Land. The book clasp is 10.4 grams, 38mm (1 1/2" inches long)

The dirt from the rear surface of the object was removed manually using a scalpel under magnification. Care was taken not to dislodge the powdery, corroding surface. With all hand conservation if the surface is in particularly sensitive condition the dirt was left in situ  read more

Code: 22940

A Most Scarce Early 17th century Jamdhar Katari Dagger From the Mountains of Nepal And the Hindu Kush,

An most early and rare Nepalese dagger classified as the Jamdhar Katari. 17th century, and developed as a fighting weapon in the 17th century. With a thin slightly swollen double edged blade 23.5cms long, painted with red devotional designs (sandlewood oil) on one side, iron hilt with swollen grip and slightly down-turned pommel and guard. Tip lacking. GC
For reference see Egerton Nos. 344 and 345 for similar.

Another very similar Jamdha Katari is in The Met Collection Fifth Ave. New York, [Accession Number:36.25.820] Donated to The Met by the legendary George Cameron Stone [Author of the seminal work A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: in All Countries and in All Times, known as 'Stone's Glossary'] in 1935.

It was regarding another most similar example we had, about which Mark Hawkins engaged in a most interesting conversation with the now late US President Ronald Reagan [in the 1970's]. President Reagan displayed a knowledge of this particular weapon, in his conversation with Mark, that was surprisingly extensive and certainly impressive.  read more

Code: 22528

A Stunning & Beautiful Edo Period Tachi-kake, Japanese Samurai Sword Stand Okuyama Family, Descendants of the Famous Genji Clan

Finest black urushi Japanese lacquerwork, over carved wood, bearing numerous hiramaki-e gold clan "four eyes" Hakkoryu kamon throughout. Constructed in two main pieces, that slot together for assembly, and apart, for storage and transportation in the samurai baggage train. Shown holding our 600 year old ‘golden dragon’ tachi [code number 22660] The Hakkoryu’s Yotsume-no-mon of the Okuyama clan who are descendants of the famous Genji clan (also called Minamoto). The clan was popularized in a famous Heian period romance Genji Monogatari, written by Murasaki Shikibu.

Most prominent of the Genji clan was Minamoto Yoritomo, a renowned general during the Kamakura period. During this era, the two most powerful clans were the Genji and their enemies, the Taira (also Heiko). The Taira were defeated in a fierce sea battle during the Genpei war and Minamoto Yoritomo and his descendants reigned supreme in Japan for some time.

The type of mon (crest) used in Hakkoryu was used by a retainer of the Minamoto clan and is commonly known as Meyui, after the concept of tie-dying. The particular style of the Hakkoryu mon is commonly known as Yotsume (“four eyes”). The significance of the crest is related primarily to the ancestors of the Okuyama family. However, the geometric design of eight squares related directly to the number eight of Hakkoryu* and the four eyes denotes preparedness for attack from all directions. There is also a superstition attached to Yotsume, as the “four eyes” guard against evil. This idea has been extended to include personal protection as in the case of Hakkoryu. The tachikake sword stand displayed the sword in a standing upright position, as opposed to the katanakake horizontal position. The vertical meant only one sword could be held, the horizontal two or several. The vertical tachikake makes a more impressive centrepiece display today, but when originally made if stood on the floor immediately next to the samurai's bed roll, the sword could be grabbed in an instant by a recumbant sleeping samurai if alerted to imminent danger. The Edo period (1603–1868) saw an increase in the focused cultivation of lacquer trees for urushi, and the development of the techniques used. In the 18th century coloured lacquers came into wider use. With the development of economy and culture, and the artistic quality of lacquered furniture improved. Hon'ami Kōetsu and Ogata Kōrin brought the designs of the Rinpa school of painting into lacquerware. After the middle of the Edo period, Inro [box containers worn from the samuria's obi hung by cords] became popular as men's accessories, and wealthy merchants of the chōnin class and samurai class collected inro of the highest aesthetic value, most precisely designed with urushi lacquer. Marie Antoinette and Maria Theresa were known collectors of fine Japanese lacquerware and their collections are exhibited in the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles. During this period, due to the development of the economy, shishiai-togidashi maki-e, an advanced technique, became popular. Small areas of natural age wear markings.  read more

Code: 23511

A Beautiful & Stunning Edo Period Tetsu Round Tsuba Of a Bat Flying in Rain Over Turbulant Seas.

The reverse is a willow carved in sunken relief, all upon a russet ground. somewhat reminiscent of the work my master Kenzui,

In Japanese folklore, bats are often associated with good luck and prosperity. One popular folktale is the story of "Bakeneko," a mythical creature resembling a cat with bat-like features. Bakeneko is believed to bring blessings and protection to households, particularly during times of hardship.

In the context of kimono designs, the depiction of bats holds specific symbolism. Bats are often featured alongside other auspicious motifs such as the pine, bamboo, and plum—traditional symbols of longevity, resilience, and prosperity. When bats are included in these designs, they reinforce the notion of good fortune and longevity, making them popular motifs for celebratory occasions such as weddings and New Year's festivities.

During the Meiji period (1868-1912), Japan underwent significant cultural and societal transformations. Bats continued to be prominent symbols during this era, often depicted in art and textiles as representations of prosperity and modernisation. As Japan embraced Western influences and embarked on industrialisation, the symbolism of bats evolved to reflect aspirations for economic growth and social advancement. Bats were frequently incorporated into decorative arts, such as ceramics and textiles, to convey wishes for prosperity and success in the changing landscape of Meiji Japan.

72mm  read more

Code: 25480

Superb Tsuba Signed Choshu Koku Hagi ju Kawaji Go {no} Ju Tomochika. A Retainer of The Mori Daimyo

The westerly province of Chōshū (Nagato) was the home of eight or more important families engaged in making sword-furniture, of whom the parent was the Nakai group, originally established in the neighbouring province of Suō. The indication “of Hagi” (Hagi no jū), so frequently added to the signatures on Chōshū work, may not perhaps in all cases imply the artist’s actual residence at the Nagato capital.

The early work was influenced by Umetada Miōju (Group XI), who spent some time at the Suō capital, Yamaguchi, as well as by members of the Shōami group (XII); thus, examples by the Nakai often show incrustation of the softer metals on the iron ground. Chōshū guards are usually in iron of a rich black patina, with sharp, powerful and carefully modelled relief, either solid or perforated. There may be a sparing enrichment of gold, but this is unusual.

After the Tokugawa family had reconstituted Japan’s central government in 1603, the head of the Mōri family became the daimyo, or feudal lord, of Chōshū, the han (fief) that encompassed most of the western Honshu region. Although the Tokugawa tolerated the existence of the Mōri in Chōshū, the two clans remained hostile toward each other. Chōshū warriors played the leading role in the overthrow of the Tokugawa government in 1867, after which Chōshū men dominated the new government until the end of World War II. Nevertheless, throughout the Tokugawa period (1603–1867) the Mōri family indoctrinated their warriors with hatred of the Tokugawa family and respect for the emperor, whose power the Tokugawa usurped. When Chōshū warriors led the fight to overthrow the Tokugawa in 1867, they did so under the banner of restoring power to the emperor.

74mm  read more

Code: 25489

A Ist Gulf War Souvenir, A Russian Scud Missile Launcher 'Level' Site. On its Original Tripod And Instrument Transit Case.

In overall excellent condition, and it’s original metal transit case for the instrument. It’s optics are truly incredible, in fact as good as anything that can be made today for the purpose of a ‘level’ instrument {somewhat similar to a theodolite}

A war trophy of the first gulf war, a Russian Scud Missile Rocket Launcher Level Site on adjustable tripod stand. Originaly designed for use with the USSR Red Army 'Frog' nuclear rocket. The Scud missiles targeting Israel were relatively ineffective, as firing at extreme range resulted in a dramatic reduction in accuracy and payload. Extensive property damage was caused, and according to Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Damage to general property consisted of 1,302 houses, 6,142 apartments, 23 public buildings, 200 shops and 50 cars." It was feared that Iraq would fire missiles filled with nerve agents such as sarin. As a result, Israel's government issued gas masks to its citizens. When the first Iraqi missiles hit Israel, some people injected themselves with an antidote for nerve gas. It has been suggested that the sturdy construction techniques used in Israeli cities, coupled with the fact that Scuds were only launched at night, played an important role in limiting the number of casualties from Scud attacks.

Missiles were a vital part of the old Cold War. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) threatened to hurl nuclear payloads from one side of the globe to the other, obliterating humanity, a real war to end all wars.

Before a Scud level site it was made for the Russian USSR Frog rocket. Further down the scale of destructiveness, tactical missiles were an important part of the Soviet arsenal. Following Joseph Stalin’s death in 1952, Nikita Khrushchev came to power. A great believer in rocketry and nuclear weapons, he cut back on conventional forces while boosting the USSR?s missile systems.

It led to a proliferation of vehicle-mounted ballistic missiles for use in tactical rather than global engagements. The first tactical missiles added to the Soviet arsenal under Krushchev were the Free Rocket Over Ground (FROG) series.

FROG-1 entered service in 1955. An IS-2 tank chassis was modified to become the basis of the launch vehicle. On it was mounted a ten-meter-long rocket powered by a solid fuel engine. It could carry a conventional 1,200-kilogram high explosive fragmentation warhead. In keeping with Khrushchev’s faith in nuclear solutions, it could also carry a tactical nuclear warhead.

The vehicle had a maximum road speed of 41 kilometers per hour, which went down to 30kph while carrying the 3,200-kilogram weight of the rocket.

The rocket had a range of nearly 26 kilometers. Half the rockets fired by FROG-1 landed within 700 meters of their target point.

One replaced bolt on the tripod.  read more

Code: 21696

A Beautiful Omori School Tsuba Turbulant Sea With Crashing Waves and A Crane Swooping Over Turtle Below.. Edo Period

The crane and the turtle have a significant position in Japanese folk lore and tradition, as both symbolically represent longevity in Japanese art.
The shibuichi tsuba of marugata shape, with a kozuka and kogai hitsu-ana, the nakago-ana with some suaka sekigane, finely worked takabori and takazogan to depict breaking waves carved in the typical manner of the Omori school with inlaid gold spray drops. Sekigane. Late 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)

Tsuba were made by whole dynasties of craftsmen whose only craft was making tsuba. They were usually lavishly decorated. In addition to being collectors items, they were often used as heirlooms, passed from one generation to the next. Japanese families with samurai roots sometimes have their family crest (mon) crafted onto a tsuba. Tsuba can be found in a variety of metals and alloys, including iron, steel, brass, copper and shakudo. In a duel, two participants may lock their katana together at the point of the tsuba and push, trying to gain a better position from which to strike the other down. This is known as tsubazeriai pushing tsuba against each other.

A closely related shibuichi tsuba with waves {omitting the crane and turtle} by Omori Teruhide is in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number 11.5454.

Koryūsai Isoda, woodblock print, of a crane flying over crashing waves.
64mm  read more

Code: 25456

A Most Rare Original WW2 SOE/OSS Issue, Clandestine Special Operations Executive Agent's Folding Espionage and Sabotage Clasp Knife With Tyre Slasher.

A slender steel unit with chequered black bakelite scales secured by five steel rivets and belt loop securing pin. Forward section of body is enclosed by short bright steel bolster. Forward section of underside is recessed for stowage of larger blade. Blade when stowed is enclosed by body. A blade release stud is located at back of tang Blade form: larger blade is very slightly recurved and single-edged with a, near Bowie-style, clipped and sharpened false edge. A small but very sharp tyre sabotage hook-like single-edged blade is fitted at "pommel" end of body, with nickel grip plate bolsters. In almost every case over the past 50 years we have sought and found a few of such incredibly intriguing ‘special services’ clasp knives, the long blade’s have all had numerous hand sharpenings and re-shaping due to their constant use in clandestine operations against the Third Reich occupation forces. In fact almost all examples that survive within clandestine forces museums, The IWM and the like, have the blades in such condition and the grip plates with obvious signs of combat use.

See pages 46 and 47 British and Commonwealth Military Knives by Ron Flook.

S.O.E. operatives had a wide range of equipment to help survive in enemy territory. Specialist jump-suits and personal escape and survival packs were developed by S.O.E.'s own factories.

Agents were carefully prepared for missions. Detailed briefings gave the latest information on the countries and specific locations where they were operating. Cover stories, contact addresses, personal codes and escape routes were provided. S.O.E. s paramilitary teams were given money, food and special military stores to meet individual needs
..
This was the knife issued to agents, initially in order to cut the shroud of the parachute, but from thenceforth as a universal espionage knife blade. The second blade is a sabotage tyre slasher.

The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its purpose was to conduct espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance in occupied Europe (and later, also in occupied Southeast Asia) against the Axis powers, and to aid local resistance movements.

Few people were aware of SOE's existence. Those who were part of it or liaised with it were sometimes referred to as the "Baker Street Irregulars", after the location of its London headquarters. It was also known as "Churchill's Secret Army" or the "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare". Its various branches, and sometimes the organisation as a whole, were concealed for security purposes behind names such as the "Joint Technical Board" or the "Inter-Service Research Bureau", or fictitious branches of the Air Ministry, Admiralty or War Office.

SOE operated in all territories occupied or attacked by the Axis forces, except where demarcation lines were agreed upon with Britain's principal Allies (the United States and the Soviet Union). It also made use of neutral territory on occasion or made plans and preparations in case neutral countries were attacked by the Axis. The organisation directly employed or controlled more than 13,000 people, about 3,200 of whom were women.

After the war, the organisation was officially dissolved on 15 January 1946. The official memorial to all those who served in the SOE during the Second World War was unveiled on 13 February 1996 on the wall of the west cloister of Westminster Abbey by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. A further memorial to SOE's agents was unveiled in October 2009 on the Albert Embankment in London.3 The Valençay SOE Memorial honours 104 SOE agents who lost their lives while working in France. The Tempsford Memorial was unveiled on 3 December 2013 by Charles, Prince of Wales, in Church End, Tempsford in Bedfordshire, close to the site of former RAF Tempsford.

On 5 May 1941 Georges Bégué (1911–1993), a radio operator, became the first SOE agent parachuted into German-occupied France. The American, Virginia Hall, who arrived by boat in August 1941, was the first woman to serve for a lengthy period in France. Andrée Borrel (1919–1944) and Lise de Baissac (1905–2004) became the first women parachuted into France on 24 September 1942. A typical team of a network consisted of an organiser (leader), a radio operator, and a courier. Agents performed a variety of functions including arms and sabotage instructors, couriers, liaison officers and radio operators. Between Bégué's first drop in May 1941 and August 1944, more than 400 F Section agents were sent into occupied France. RF sent about the same number of agents; AMF sent 600 (although not all of these belonged to SOE). EU/P and DF sent a few dozen agents each.

Some networks were compromised, with the loss of many agents. In particular agents continued to be sent to the "Prosper" network headed by Francis Suttill for months after it was controlled by the Germans and most of its agents had been captured. The head of F Section, Maurice Buckmaster was blamed by many as he failed to see signs that the network was compromised. Buckmasters highly significant no 2 was Vera Atkins, the basis for the character of Hilda Pierce in Foyle's War. { For those interested, Antony Horowitz’s ‘Foyle’s War’ {2002-2015} was one of Britain’s finest ever wartime tv drama series ever made {see Netflix}. It was of such incredibly fine dramatic quality, staring some of The UK’s finest acting talent, that it was cancelled, due to budget cuts, by its broadcaster, twice. For many, the failure of its recognition as to its quality and worth by the TV exec. mandarins, and to thus order its cancellation, is effectively, the highest praise indeed}

Atkins was recruited before the war by Canadian spymaster Sir William Stephenson of British Security Co-ordination. He sent her on fact-finding missions across Europe to supply Winston Churchill (then in the 'political wilderness') with intelligence on the rising threat of Nazi Germany.

After the war as well as tracing 117 of the 118 missing F Section agents, Atkins established the circumstances of the deaths of all 14 of the women, twelve of whom had perished in concentration camps: Andrée Borrel, Vera Leigh, Sonia Olschanezky (whom Atkins did not identify until 1947, but knew as the fourth woman to be killed) and Diana Rowden executed at Natzweiler-Struthof by lethal injection on 6 July 1944; Yolande Beekman, Madeleine Damerment, Noor Inayat Khan and Eliane Plewman executed at Dachau on 13 September 1944; Denise Bloch, Lilian Rolfe and Violette Szabo executed by shooting at Ravensbrück on 5 February 1945, and Cecily Lefort executed in the gas chamber at the Uckermark Youth Camp adjacent to Ravensbrück sometime in February 1945. Yvonne Rudellat died of typhus on 23 or 24 April 1945, eight or nine days after the liberation of Bergen-Belsen,30 and Muriel Byck had died of meningitis in hospital in Romorantin, France, on 25 May 1944. Atkins had also persuaded the War Office that the twelve women, technically regarded as civilians, who had been executed, were not treated as having died in prison, as had been originally intended, but were recorded as killed in action.

Atkins' efforts in looking for her missing "girls" meant not only did each now have a place of death, but by detailing their bravery before and after capture, she also helped to ensure that each (except Sonia Olschanezky, unknown to Atkins until 1947) received official recognition by the British Government, including the award of a posthumous George Cross to both Violette Szabo in 1946 and, especially due to Atkins's efforts, Noor Inayat Khan in 1949. (Odette Sansom, who survived Ravensbrück, also received the GC in 1946.) However, when Atkins did confirm that Sonia Olschanezky had died at Natzweiler-Struthof, she failed to pass the information to Sonia's family. Atkins was appointed CBE in the 1997 Birthday Honours. She was awarded the Croix de Guerre in 1948 and made a Knight of the Legion of Honour by the French government in 1987. She died in Hastings Sussex in June 2000 aged 92.

4 3/4 Inches fully folded, naturally in combat service used condition, entirely as to be expected, the grip plates are good with small end loss. Considering their service, almost every of the very few examples we have seen in the past 50 years, in or outside of museum collections, have had damage and losses in this area.  read more

Code: 25482

Over 2,000 Antique & Vintage Service Military, Maritime, Police & Fire-service Uniform Buttons Just Aquired.,Boer War, WW1, WW2 and ERII

All original and some jolly interesting ones. All pretty much collected in the 1960’s.

We will be selling them individually, but just in the shop, and for just a nominal price at one price fits all {some rare ones must be worth £10+ each or more}. Often, just as souvenirs for visitors.

Sadly they are impractical to sell online for delivery as even just a 1st class letter stamp is now ruinously expensive at £1.65, so they would not be prudent to sell online simply for the cost of packing and sending, let alone the half hour one way walk to our city’s main branch Post Office. Which is now located in a back room of the basement of our local WH Smith’s newsagents. Average queue wait, from a single attended counter, up to 35 minutes!. Our former magnificent edifice, that was once our main Royal Mail Brighton Post Office, somewhat reminiscent of the size of the British Embassy in Paris, with around 20 fully attended counters, servicing Brighton and its environs now two hundred and fifty thousand souls, is now part of a restaurant chain.
By the late 19th century, 130 Years ago!, there were between six and twelve mail deliveries per day in London, permitting correspondents to exchange multiple letters within a single day. Now we count ourselves lucky to get a single delivery a day, {if at all} with many letters arriving up to a week late. However, our regular ‘postie’, Mark Garoghan, is as devoted to his job as he was decades ago, when he first trod the streets of Brighton {for the past 47 years}. Our praise of him, and his loyalty to his profession, knows no bounds.  read more

Code: 25488