Tag: Borough

A Summer's School Pick-Up!

Sutton: A Typical Summer School Pick-Up! (20.8.2026)

Of course, we live in South-West Greater London (Sutton & Cheam) – which used to be East Surrey until 1965. The place is countryfied and full of trees and parks – the trees are in the streets – planted down the side of the pavements (my dad said – when he visited in 2000 – that this is “posh”). Sutton used to be terribly wealthy in all areas, but now is just a place that well-off people like to live despite the economy completely collapsing). Obviously, I am here just by accident. I ended-up here more or less by accident due to a relationship, etc. Still, we are where we are and have to make the most of it. The schools are good and we are providing the best education we can for our two daughters. This is my partner “Gee” (left) walking with “Kai-Lin” (right) – I am the rear-guard holding the ‘phone. Earlier that day, me and Gee had attended a School Assembly – within which all the children demonstrated to their parents what they had laerned over the last academic year (September-July).

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Sutton: Evening Walk with the Puppies! (8.5.2023)

Indeed, Sutton Council was once ‘forced’ (during the 1990s) to make a public statement to the effect that it recognised and supported the principle of multiculturalism – such was the bad reputation it had regarding accusations of bias, prejudice and blatant racism! This impression was not helped by the fact that the Met Police had also been involved in one or two high profile incidents where it faced Court actions from non-White people subjected racist Police tactics! A Chinese man had telephoned the Police to report that his shop was under siege from members of the far-right. The Police turned-up – greeting the thugs by name – and then ‘arrested’ the Chinese man (giving him a good beating whilst in the back of the van). Luckily, he as very wealthy and was able to pursue this matter in the Courts! Still, it is a lovely evening today on VE Day!

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UK: Soviet War Grave – Private V. Duschin [Владимир Душин] (1916-1945) – Soviet Forces – Shaftsbury Borough Cemetery, Dorset (Visited 31.5.2022)

There is an added complication involving the fact that Guys Marsh Military Hospital also treated primarily British, American and Soviet POWs who had been held by the Imperial Japanese and who had suffered terrible psychological and physical abuse! It is believed that prior to the Soviet Union declaring war on Imperial Japan on August 9th, 1945 – the Nazi Germans would ship tens of thousands of Soviet POWs to Japanese-occupied Northeast China – where they were worked to death or used for military and medical experiments. As V. Duschin was ‘liberated’, rescued, brought to England and had died at least six-months prior to the Soviet ‘liberation’ of Northeast China (and the eventual surrender of Imperial Japan on September 3rd, 1945). However, V Duschin is recorded as being rescued by the British Army during its drive across Northwest Europe – which must have been around December 1944 – January 1945, but the question remains ‘where’? There were hundreds of sub-camps of various sizes that the Nazi Germans ‘liquidated’ (that is ‘massacred’) as the Allies approached and it could be that V Duschin had been originally moved into Western Europe to work before his health failed. More research is required.

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