Author: Joe Mander

By Joe Mander

Egyptian Pyramids

Egypt was once one of the richest and most powerful civilizations in the world and the Great Pyramids of Giza are a symbol of Egyptian strength. The Pyramids are top of the list of the 7 Wonders of the World and attracts millions of visitors every year. The Great Pyramid of Giza is massive at 230 metres…

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By Joe Mander

Armed Forces Day 2016 & General Update

The BTP boys will be showcasing our exciting pillbox-themed display stall at the Paddocks, Canvey Island, this Saturday (25th) for Armed Forces Day 2016. Come down and see us from roughly 11am to 2pm, alongside many of the other interesting community groups in the area which all have something to share, such as the Bay…

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By Joe Mander

Essex Police Museum

The Essex Police Museum covers the history of the police force prior to it’s establishment in 1840 up till the present day. With dozens of police artefacts ranging from motorbikes to uniforms and murder weapons, the museum covers all aspects of the extensive history of Essex Police. Over 25,000 items are kept at the force…

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By Joe Mander

Essex Police Headquarters

Essex Police first dates back to 1840 when it was established as the Essex County Constabulary, based in the old military barracks in Arbour Lane, Chelmsford. Initially only one hundred constables and fifteen superintendents were appointed to the force, a fraction of the officers that the force has today. Constables were provided with a basic uniform…

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By Joe Mander

The Gunpowder Plot

From Wikipedia What actually happened? When Mary, Queen of Scots fled to England in 1567, her thirteen-month-old son James was crowned king of Scotland. With his Catholic mother in England, James was brought up as a Protestant. When Elizabeth I died in 1603 without children, Mary’s son, was next in line to the throne. As James was a Protestant, Parliament was also in favour…

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By Joe Mander

The Holocaust

Photo from Baltimoresun.com. 6 million Jews | 220,000 Gypsies | 70,000 Homosexuals | 250,000 Disabled People | 7 million Soviet Civillians | 3 million Soviet Prisoners of War January 27th, is the international memorial day for the victims of the Holocaust, the genocide that resulted in the murder of millions. 27th January is the date, in 1945, when the largest Nazi…

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By Joe Mander

Radio Caroline

Photos from Offshoreechos.com and Thevoguevibes.com Radio Caroline, one of the most famous radio stations in the UK was launched 50 years ago today, just off of the Essex coast. Founded in 1964 by Ronan O’Rahilly, it is considered the first proper kick-start of popular music broadcast however Radio Caroline was unlicensed by any government for…

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By Joe Mander

Hidden Blitz Bomb Site

German bombing during the Second World War left London heavily damaged to this very day. At 4.18 in the video below filmed in 2013 – albeit an early amateur production, we catch a glimpse at a large bombsite in Whitechapel which has remained undeveloped and left to become overgrown since the war. it is thought…

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By Joe Mander

Southchurch Hall

Southchurch Hall is a moated house, clearly rather grand, dating back to the Middle Ages (14th Century) with extensions added in the Tudor era and 1930s. The de Southchurch family were the original residents of the house, and its great hall was likely to have been built on the site of a Saxon hall. Solars…

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By Joe Mander

Southend Central Museum

The building originates back to 1905, when the site was first opened as the towns first free library. The Grade II listed site remained as a library until 1974 when it moved to the brutalist-style concrete-faced building to the left of it. Much of its early Edwardian Victorian-style architecture both inside and out remains relatively…

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