Shortly after being freed from the banks of the Suez Canal on 29th March, the Ever Given was impounded with its crew still aboard. But it’s not the first time a cargo ship has been prevented from leaving the waterway. My article published in Delayed Gratification magazine in March 2021. https://www.slow-journalism.com/delayed-gratification-magazine/eight-years-stuck-on-the-suez-canal
Eight Years Stuck on the Suez Canal Read More »
Never got round to reading Stranded in the Suez Canal? Don’t worry – here’s the short version. Bombers overhead Aboard the Agapenor, Suez Canal, 5 June 1967 09.00: Peter Flack, serving as third mate on the Blue Funnel cargo ship Agapenor, was up on deck. He can vividly remember the outbreak of hostilities to this
Stuck in the Suez Canal – the short version Read More »
On 23 March, strong gusts of wind drove the giant Ever Given completely off course as it passed through the Suez Canal. A sandstorm created poor visibility, affecting navigation. The vessel ran aground, its vast bulk horizontally wedged across the narrow waterway. The 400-m long, 224,000-tonne Ever Given is one of the largest container ships
The Suez Canal: from the 1967 war to the Ever Given Read More »
When I came across the story of the ships stranded in the Suez Canal for 8 years, I felt that this little-known story of international solidarity should be better known. Now I believe it is. I’d like to draw your attention to a range of materials. Many people have helped to give a place in
The Great Bitter Lake Association goes global Read More »
When I was young, I quizzed my granny Bea Senker about her childhood in the East End. An enthusiastic socialist, I hoped to hear heroic stories of my forefathers joining the mass protests to stop Oswald Mosley’s fascist Blackshirts at the Battle of Cable Street in 1936. Servants Instead, granny told me that her parents
Charles Henry Goff: from Baltimore to the East End Read More »
I’ve recently discovered that some of my forefathers came from the shtetl of Sadowne, in Poland. A great-great aunt, Sarah Appelbaum, was apparently a midwife and teacher in Sadowne, helping to maintain the health and morals of the community. Jewish shtetl society was hierarchical. At the peak were a few wealthy estate managers and successful
A sense of community Read More »
Prominent in a white blouse and a protective hand on a relative’s knee is my great-grandmother Rosa Fischer. This family wedding photo probably dates to the 1930s. Originally from Russia, Rosa’s parents were Naphtali and Bella Fisher. I haven’t yet found out anything about her background or journey to the UK. Pogroms Whatever happened to
The trauma of forced migration Read More »
It’s 11.30 on a weekday morning. In a large, airy community centre, the long, narrow tables are carefully spaced out with chairs at either side. It looks a bit like an examination hall and you could literally hear a pin drop. Across each table, a student and teacher quietly communicate from behind their visors. Recently,
The quietest English classes ever Read More »
Relieved to finally reach sanctuary in a safe country, Ali arrived in a south-coast town at the end of 2019. Moving into a new home, he hoped to start learning English and rebuilding his life. Within three months, the UK was in lockdown, and all classes shut their doors. Life was on hold for Ali
Face to face with the pandemic Read More »