John Welford
Bio
I am a retired librarian, having spent most of my career in academic and industrial libraries.
I write on a number of subjects and also write stories as a member of the "Hinckley Scribblers".
Stories (501/0)
Mammals seen in British coastal waters
The relatively small islands of Great Britain can boast a coastline that stretches for more than 10,000 miles due to all its “ins and outs” and the huge number of even smaller outlying islands. The coasts therefore provide environments for a variety of sea mammals, especially in the more remote areas where food is plentiful and human interference less so. Mammals that can often be seen from the shore, or better still from a boat, include:
By John Welford3 years ago in Earth
The London Eye
The London Eye is the World's tallest observation wheel at 135 metres (440 feet), making it the fourth highest construction in London. It stands right next to the River Thames, alongside the former County Hall and very close to the South Bank complex of theatres and art galleries.
By John Welford3 years ago in Wander
Little Goody Two-Shoes
“The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes” was an early book for children that had a huge influence on the way that children were taught to read, from its publication in 1765 until the mid 19th century. Although its sententiousness and overbearing morality might cause hilarity today, it was in several ways a revolutionary publication in its time.
By John Welford3 years ago in Geeks
Dorset: some literary connections
Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) The name that comes first to mind when Dorset and literature are considered together must always be Thomas Hardy. Not only was he the greatest literary figure to have lived and worked in Dorset, but the county was also the backdrop to his novels and poems, and he even re-christened Dorset as “South Wessex”, with its towns and villages identifiable as real places under different names. Many people who have never visited Dorset, but who have read Hardy’s works, have gained an intimate knowledge of the place, as it was in Hardy’s time and before, without realising it.
By John Welford3 years ago in Geeks
Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation
The American Civil War is often regarded as the culmination of Abraham Lincoln’s campaign to end slavery, but that is an over-simplification of his motives. His Emancipation Proclamation can be seen as having had an ulterior motive.
By John Welford3 years ago in The Swamp
Lewis and Clark's contribution to American English
Lewis and Clark were two explorers who were sent by President Thomas Jefferson to explore the interior and west of the North American continent. Inadvertently, they also made important contributions to the development of American English.
By John Welford3 years ago in FYI
"Leda and the Swan": a poem by W B Yeats
W B Yeats’s poem “Leda and the Swan” was published in his 1928 collection “The Tower”, although the poem itself is dated 1923, the year in which he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. It is therefore a poem written at the height of his powers (he was 58 in 1923) and belongs to the period when he was exploring the occult and attempting to explain national and world events within a mystical and symbolic context.
By John Welford3 years ago in Poets
How matchlock weapons worked
In the centuries before the invention of the percussion cap, which came into use in the 1830s and 1840s, small arms had to be fired by the cumbersome (and often dangerous) means of igniting a primer charge of gunpowder in the weapon’s “pan”, which then ignited the main charge in the barrel. The earliest means of achieving this was the matchlock.
By John Welford3 years ago in FYI
Places associated with Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey, the “Nine Days Queen” had a very short life, being executed on 12th February 1554 at the age of 16. Her life was a sheltered one, in that she spent most of her childhood being educated and she did not travel much. The number of places that are associated with her, and which can be visited today, is therefore limited.
By John Welford3 years ago in FYI
The Kepi
A kepi is a round cap with a leather or cloth peak and a cord or leather chinstrap, worn by soldiers and other public officials. Although it offers absolutely no protection against bullets or other weapons, it has been a popular item of headgear with armies since the mid-19th century, although its origins go back several centuries further.
By John Welford3 years ago in Serve