Photos of Old Wivenhoe

Back in September 2010 I published a couple of photos: one a scene taken from a book of pictures of Wivenhoe from the past and the second a recreation of how the same view looked today.

The first pic. shows the Park Hotel (left) with a horse-drawn wagonette or brake standing out front. The hotel was built in 1863, although the picture, looking down the High Street, was taken in 1905.

Above is how the same view looks today. The hotel became a pub which has now closed; out of shot just off to the left of the picture it is obvious that there has been some building work going on and the former bar has been converted into a coffee shop. We haven't been in yet, but it seems to be quite popular.

Since writing the above we have been into the "coffee shop" – actually a very nice little restaurant still known as The Park Hotel. I also noticed that Google haven't updated their "street view" for years and this was the scene when their Google car came down the High Street in July 2009.

Anyway, I thought I'd try again with another scene. One of the pubs in the area has a number of old photos of Wivenhoe and I occasionally try to snap one. The photos are never perfect because they're behind glass and I've managed to get some light reflected. But hopefully it's good enough.

This scene is further down the High Street (the road in the above pics) towards the quay. In the foreground is a furniture shop and, a couple of doors further down, is the Greyhound pub. The road leading off to the left is Queens Road and, almost opposite the Greyhound, on the right, is Clifton Terrace, where Dave Wallis lived.

The third picture above is the eerily similar shot from July 2009. Just shows you how little changes over the years and how little damage Mel and I have caused since our arrival in July 2010. No craters, no angry mobs... we really need to try harder.

(* Google photos are © Google)

Commando 4611-4614

Commando issues on sale 20th June 2013.

Commando No 4611 — See Paris And Die!

By Summer 1944, the Allies had broken out of the Normandy beach head and the race for Paris was on. The Convict Commandos were at the head of the advance — sent in to make sure the city wasn’t levelled.
   For once, Jelly Jakes was pleased with their mission; he’d always wanted to see Paris. Mind you, he hadn’t banked on seeing it as he hurtled earthwards from the top of the Eiffel Tower!

Story: Alan Hebden
Art: Benet
Cover: Benet

Commando No 4612 – Run To Freedom

In 1968, a series of reforms known as The Prague Spring loosened the iron grip of communism on Czechoslovakia. Looking forward to this new beginning, Marek Kaldova — an RAF avionics expert — returned to his native Czechoslovakia after twenty years in exile.
   Things didn’t go smoothly, though. The Russians invaded and Marek found himself on the run from the KGB who were desperate to uncover his priceless secrets.
   Help was at hand, in the form of British Secret Service operative Sergeant Bob Carter, but even he would have his work cut out on the Run To Freedom.

Story: Alan Hebden
Art: Rezzonico
Cover: Janek Matysiak

Commando No 4613 — Spy In Battledress

The Commandos were tough, dedicated men who had risen from the funeral pyre of Dunkirk to hit back at the Nazis with blazing tommy guns and a brand of courage that was unique. Their motto…United We Conquer!
   But there was one man who mocked that brave motto when he crept ashore on raids with his Commando mates. They all knew him as “Mitch” Mitchell, but German High Command knew him better as Leutnant Hans Reister of the SS.
   And what the Commandos didn’t guess was that each time he was leading them straight into a German ambush…

Introduction

A traitor amongst Commandos? Not only would the man himself have to be bold, but the author of his tale would have to be similarly brave. Sustaining a story of treachery amongst a series of raids where the spy would have to avoid shooting his countrymen takes a lot of ingenuity. Fortunately for us, Eric Hebden succeeds admirably. And he manages to confound our expectations, too.
   Alvaro, who did a score or more of the early Commando covers, sets the scene for the story and between his covers, Amador does a fine job of carrying the tale along with strong black and white work — even when he’s supposed to be drawing a red hat.
   All in all a surprising yarn…for all the right reasons.

Calum Laird, Editor

Story: Eric Hebden
Art: Amador
Cover: Alvaro
Originally Commando No 89 (October 1963).

Commando No 4614 — A Pack Of Wolves

The three men were part of a band of Italian bandits, a pack of wolves who roamed through the mountains to make a fat profit while their war-torn country crumbled about them. There were other similar groups in the area too, but this lot had by far the strangest leader of all…an eccentric history lecturer from England!

Introduction

Some people might think that they know exactly what to expect from the pages of Commando. But every now and then comes a story that plays with those expectations and ultimately turns them around.
   A Pack Of Wolves is a case in point. Instead of a fearless Tommy we have an utterly despicable one. Expecting a villainous German? Well, here’s a noble and honourable one. And when we meet the characters who we think might be the eponymous Pack Of Wolves — we meet another pack of them soon after. Nothing is quite what it seems here. And this memorable tale is all the better for it.  

Scott Montgomery, Deputy Editor

Story: Allan Chalmers
Art: Gordon Livingstone
Cover: Jeff Bevan
Originally Commando No 2192 (June 1988), re-issued as Commando No 3660 (September 2003).

The Wanderings of Ulysses part 10

(* The Wanderings of Ulysses © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

The Wanderings of Ulysses part 9

(* The Wanderings of Ulysses © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

The Wanderings of Ulysses part 8

(* The Wanderings of Ulysses © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

The Wanderings of Ulysses part 7

(* The Wanderings of Ulysses © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

The Wanderings of Ulysses part 6

(* The Wanderings of Ulysses © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

Comic Cuts - 14 June 2013

I shall try to keep vaguely to topic for a few minutes. I've spent the whole week reading through and making notes about the strips appearing in Boys' World. It's a long-winded job, which means that other than saying my notes currently run to about 18,000 words, I haven't anything to say that I won't be saying in the book.

I do, on the other hand, need some help with Boys' World Annual. I have listings for the contents but I'm missing some cover scans and a few examples of pages from inside for the following: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972. For some reason unknown, I only have three volumes (1964, 1965, 1969) to hand and I'm sure I had more.

If you think you can help, drop me a line at the address below the photo (top left) and I'll try to spread the workload.

With that "news" out of the way I'm going to talk about giraffes. Yes, giraffes. These giraffes...

Colchester has been celebrating the 50th anniversary of its zoo and to promote the event a number of 7-foot high giraffes have turned up around town and other locations in Essex. Smaller giraffes have found their way into shops, but the larger ones, dotted around the High Street, the Castle, a few retail parks and elsewhere, have become quite a talking point. Grown ups are having as much fun as their kids trying to track them down. And, being as childish as the next person – especially when that next person is Melissa – I was scooting around town trying to find as many as I could last Saturday.

To be honest, I'd forgotten all about the promotion and spotted my first giraffe and was filled with wonder at this startling random act of art. Even when I realised it was a promotion and I was buying into what was in essence an advertising campaign, I was still overjoyed with each new discovery.

Some of them are brash and colourful, some beautiful and serene, others thought-provoking but mostly they are 7-foot high giraffes brightening up our otherwise dull summer. We've spotted eleven so far and I'm hoping to track down one or two more tomorrow. I'll let you know if I do.

 

 

 

 

Ulysses continues his voyages over the weekend and into next week.

The Wanderings of Ulysses part 5

(* The Wanderings of Ulysses © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

The Wanderings of Ulysses part 4

(* The Wanderings of Ulysses © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

The Wanderings of Ulysses part 3

(* The Wanderings of Ulysses © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)

The Wanderings of Ulysses part 2

(* The Wanderings of Ulysses © Look and Learn Ltd. Reprinted by permission.)