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  1. Blackleaf

    As the RAF reaches 100, let's salute the plucky little plane that won the war

    The RAF - the world's oldest airforce - celebrates its 100th birthday on 1st April, so it's time to celebrate the plucky little aircraft that helped win the war... The plucky little plane that won the war! As the RAF celebrates its centenary, Robert Hardman salutes the Spitfire that sent...
  2. Blackleaf

    My grandmother, the ONLY person who dared stand up to Churchill

    New movie Darkest Hour follows Britain's great wartime leader Winston Churchill in his early days as Prime Minister as Hitler closes in on Britain and highlights the pivotal role of his wife Clementine. Their granddaughter Emma Soames says it's about time that Clementine's role was recognised...
  3. Blackleaf

    Crown Jewels hidden in biscuit tin during WW2

    Gemstones from the Crown Jewels were hidden in a biscuit tin at Windsor Castle for safekeeping during World War Two, a BBC documentary will reveal. It was buried below a secret exit on the orders of King George VI to prevent the jewels falling into Nazi hands. Crown Jewels hidden in biscuit...
  4. Blackleaf

    Fire, cider and blackface: Herefordshire villages celebrate New Year

    Morris dancers have celebrated the ancient pagan custom of wassailing by donning black make-up and leading a procession in a bid to prepare orchards for the New Year. The tradition through the villages of Much Marcle and Dilwyn in Herefordshire involves people pouring cider over tree roots...
  5. Blackleaf

    The 400-year-old Bible which survived being used as toilet paper

    A leather bound 400-year-old Welsh bible that survived a French invasion, fires and even being used as toilet paper was discovered gathering dust in the back of a church after four centuries. The leather bound 1620 Llanwnda Bible, which withstood the last invasion of Britain in 1797, defied the...
  6. Blackleaf

    Show on the Woad: How new drama Britannia aims to be new Game of Thrones

    New British historical drama Britannia aims to be the new Game of Thrones. Set in AD 43, the series follows ancient Rome's conquest of the Celts in the British Isles — "a mysterious land ruled by wild warrior women and powerful druids who can channel the powerful forces of the underworld."...
  7. Blackleaf

    Hard Sun: Just how scared should we be of solar apocalypse?

    New BBC pre-apocalyptic drama Hard Sun started last night. The series opened with a man hacking into security service GCHQ and coming across a secret so terrifying the authorities want to keep it from public knowledge: that the Sun is going to cause global mass extinction within the next five...
  8. Blackleaf

    Theresa May must end end Britain's great 140 Character Crisis

    Last week the NHS collapsed. So did the national rail network, and the police service. This was preceded by an explosion in homelessness, and before that an implosion of the judicial and penal system. The year is seven days old. And, if you believe the reports, the country is already on...
  9. Blackleaf

    Sir David Attenborough and a macabre murder mystery in Lyme Regis

    Last year’s documentary Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur, which traced the discovery of a new titanosaur species in Argentina, pulled in an impressive 7.5 million viewers, the highest rating for a natural history programme since an episode of Frozen Planet in 2011. Now the veteran...
  10. Blackleaf

    London confounds Brexit doom-mongers to be crowned Europe’s top tech investment city

    London beat every other EU city to be crowned tech investment champion of 2017 despite the move to Brexit. The capital had more technology money pour in than the rest of the top ten combined, including Paris, Dublin and Berlin. Best Brexcity London confounds doom-mongers to be crowned...
  11. Blackleaf

    999 crews free horny old man with seven curtain rings stuck on his todger

    A HORNY drunk called 999 in a panic after getting seven curtain rings stuck on his todger. The pensioner, 67, is thought to have fallen asleep after putting on the steel bands and taking Viagra during a boozy night in. He woke up in his armchair and realised they were stuck. SOUR DRAPES 999...
  12. Blackleaf

    How Blackbeard and his men enjoyed reading

    He may have a fearsome reputation for savagery and ruthlessness but new research suggests Blackbeard might also have been an avid reader. The infamous pirate and his fellow buccaneers on the 300-year-old flagship Queen Anne's Revenge may have enjoyed reading adventure stories, an...
  13. Blackleaf

    Trial of laser beams to scare sea eagles from lambs

    Shining laser beams onto hillsides could be used as a method of scaring white-tailed sea eagles away from flocks of sheep. The technology is to be trialled in Argyll, an area where crofters and farmers have had issues with the raptors preying on lambs. Scottish Natural Heritage said the...
  14. Blackleaf

    The Royal Mail is pandering to the Remoaners by not making Brexit stamps

    With the Royal Mail having issued Game of Thrones stamps, Damian Thompson is wondering why it doesn't issue Brexit stamps... Damian Thompson The Royal Mail is pandering to the Remoaners by not making Brexit stamps In 1973 the Royal Mail made stamps to commemorate us joining the Common Market...
  15. Blackleaf

    Battle of Culloden gold medal could fetch £100,000 at auction

    A rare medal struck after the Duke of Cumberland's loyalists crushed the Jacobite rebellion in 1746 is tipped to fetch £100,000 at an auction. The Battle of Culloden, in which 1,500 Jacobites were killed while only 50 government troops lost their lives, was the last pitched battle...
  16. Blackleaf

    Tony Blair accused of being 'tendentious' and 'elitist' over Brexit

    If there is one man who embodies the current British Establishment's disdain for democracy and the will of the people it's Tony Blair. It's Tony Blair who, once again, has spoken out against Brexit and explained his desire to overturn a democratic decision. Blair has to be careful, though. The...
  17. Blackleaf

    What Europeans really think about Brexit

    What do Europeans really think about Brexit? Do they secretly admire our unexpected decision to walk away from all those pesky regulations and sub-committees? Or are our former ‘European friends’ relieved the arrogant, entitled Brits are leaving them alone? Features What...
  18. Blackleaf

    Squirrel's acorns cause car to break down

    A holidaymaker returned from a break to find his car wasn't working - after a squirrel stuffed the mechanics full of hundreds of acorns. Stunned motorist Andrew Wilkins, 25, says the rodent stashed its hoard of nuts in his Volkswagen Golf. His vehicle was turned into a winter supply store by...
  19. Blackleaf

    First pub named after Princess Charlotte opens

    Drinkers can raise a toast to Princess Charlotte in the first pub ever named after the Royal toddler. The bespoke boozer in Colchester, Essex, has just started serving punters and has proved a hit with regulars. It was hoped the bar staff could pop a cork of champagne when the the Duke and...
  20. Blackleaf

    7 things that happened in January through history

    Seven notable events which happened in January... 7 things that happened in January through history Dominic...