Last week marked the sad anniversary of the murder of Russia’s Imperial Family; Tsar Nicholas II, the Empress Alexandra and their five children – Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexei. They, together with a handful of their loyal servants, were brutally executed by the Bolsheviks, in the basement of the
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
I am often bemused, and sometimes amused, by the possessions my parents and grandparents held on to over the years. My family, for various reasons, were fairly nomadic – even after I was born we relocated frequently – so all the possessions I have inherited had been packed and unpacked
In another century what will historians, anthropologists and researchers make of the wealth of material we are producing today? Will they speculate at the news stories and marvel at the immaculate Instagram images? Will our emails and text messages stand the test of time? What will social media say about
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
Surrounded by panic about the spread of Covid-19, what better way to spend an afternoon than researching my grandmother’s experience with disease during the Russian Revolution. I turned to her book, Upheaval, to find out how she was affected. She is not the best at recording dates, but I can