von Fircks

Blogs which describe people or events related to my paternal line.

Timelines – Mapping His Story against History

It has been a long and slow process, but I am finally able to trace some of my father’s footsteps through World War II. There are times when I have almost regretted starting this project, and times when I feel I should end it before I learn too much, but

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My father also had far to go…

Those of you who read my blog might have seen this post that I wrote about my grandmother, who was born on a Thursday. I compared her life to the prediction in the nursery rhyme “Monday’s child”, which suggests that those born on a Thursday have far to go. The

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What will the world be like when all this is over?

As that virus plays havoc with hospitals and health workers the world over, I am guessing its impact on the world’s economy will be felt long after a vaccine is discovered. I often try to find similarities between current world events and those which took place in the history of

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Past Pandemics: Did the Spanish Flu Kill Young Gabriele?

The Corona Virus, or COVID 19 as we are being told to call it, is everywhere. And when I say everywhere I mean reports of it are on every news channel and social media site. It is now officially a pandemic. Contagious by nature, the fear of it is contagious

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International Women’s Day – Women of Strength and Courage

The photo collage above shows various pictures of the strong women in my immediate family – my mother, and both my grandmothers. I do not have to look very far from these three women to find strength, courage and determination. Although from different backgrounds, both of my grandmothers were refugees,

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