Latest news with #Debden
Telegraph
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Badenoch channels Thatcher (and Truss) atop military machine
It was a tradition started by Margaret Thatcher and subsequently imitated by Liz Truss. Now Kemi Badenoch has become the latest female Conservative leader to pose atop a British Army vehicle. Mrs Badenoch sat in the turret of the Mastiff armoured patrol car as she visited a British Army base in her constituency. The Tory leader smiled as she was driven around Carver Barracks near Debden, Essex. Her choice of vehicle came with less firepower than Ms Truss and Thatcher. In 1986, the then-prime minister rode atop a Challenger tank at a Nato training ground near Fallingbostel, West Germany. Wearing a mac, scarf and goggles, Thatcher used a laser-guided weapons system to fire a 6lb practice shell from the tank. She later declared she 'loved it'. The next day's edition of The Daily Telegraph described her outfit as a 'cross between Isadora Duncan and Lawrence of Arabia'. As foreign secretary, Ms Truss imitated the Iron Lady 35 years later in 2021 when she posed riding a Challenger 2 tank in Tapa, Estonia. Other pictures from Mrs Badenoch's visit to the barracks showed her pointing an assault rifle directly at the chest of a soldier. Labour seized on the image and said the Tory leader had broken cadet rules that say 'a weapon must never be pointed at anyone in any circumstances'. The regulations add: 'A weapon must always be handled so that it points in such a direction that there is no danger if a round is accidentally fired.' A Labour source said: 'The reference to 'faulty or careless handling' in the guidance probably best describes her tenure as Tory leader.' A Conservative spokesman hit back by asking: 'What fun-hating, pettifogging grouch seriously thinks this is worth complaining about?'
CTV News
26-05-2025
- CTV News
Sask. man killed after side-by-side collides with van
A 67-year-old man from Debden, Sask. is dead after his side-by-side collided with a van on Saturday. At around 5:25 p.m. on May 24, Big River RCMP received a report of the crash on Highway 55, approximately four kilometers south of Debden, RCMP said in a news release. Officers responded along with local paramedics. The driver, and sole occupant of the side-by-side, was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS. His family has been notified. The driver and two passengers in the van did not report any injuries to the police. Police say they continue to investigate with the assistance of a Saskatchewan RCMP collision reconstructionist.
The Review Geek
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Britain and the Blitz (2025) Netflix Movie Review
Keep Calm and Carry On There have been a lot of documentaries about World War II over the years, and perhaps one topic that's been covered more than most — especially over here in the United Kingdom — is The Blitz. From popular movies like Atonement to revisionist efforts like Blitz, the subject has been explored extensively in the entertainment world. Over on the documentary side, it's hard to top The World at War from 1973, which still stands as one of the best and most definitive wartime documentaries of all time. Honestly, if you haven't watched it, it's a must-watch. With such a well-worn topic, Netflix has slowly been dipping their toes into this wartime space too, with recent efforts like Churchill at War and Greatest Events of WWII in Colour showing the studio's efforts to broadcast more of what happened during the War. Britain and the Blitz, then, feels much more cinematic than it does informative — essentially presenting a romanticised version of The Blitz, sporting archival footage intercut with first-hand accounts from men and women trying to survive the horrors of WWII. The fabled 'Blitz spirit' is shown front and centre here, with plenty of reflections about people living like every day could be their last, while others just 'kept calm and carried on.' There are no overt narrators or big-picture analysts to provide a broader historical context though, beyond a few quotes from Churchill and Hitler, and that does make this feel somewhat narrow and small in scope. A direct contrast to that aforementioned cinematic appeal that the documentary is going for. Across the documentary, we follow Edith Heap, an Intelligence plotter based at RAF Debden; Richard, a firefighter; Joan — who details a romantic affair with her neighbour Rupert; Eric Brady, a London evacuee, and his sister Kitty; and Marie Price, a Liverpudlian local. A few others pop up throughout, but it's largely these voices that stitch the narrative together. While the documentary does showcase some fascinating slices of life — like the class divide between north and south when Eric moves to Coventry and clashes with the local kids — it also feels like a missed opportunity not to give more historical context or explore these stories through a wider lens. For example, the evacuation effort initially included plans to send children to Canada, America, and New Zealand, until one of the ships was destroyed, killing 260 people in the process. That kind of background could have added a deeper emotional layer to Eric's storyline, but it's completely overlooked. There's also a slightly odd inclusion around the Communist Party, who are briefly shown as the plucky underdogs trying to undermine the government. Yet the film never acknowledges that they only supported the war after Russia was invaded, which feels like an important omission if you're trying to be historically accurate. Visually, the documentary is well-edited for the most part, with archival footage and photographs effectively used — but it's constantly undermined by the musical score. I'm not sure whose idea it was to add a pulsating, overly dramatic soundtrack like we're in a Hollywood action flick, but it really doesn't work. Moments that should land quietly are drowned out by soaring orchestral swells or over-the-top sequences that make you feel like Tom Cruise is going to rush on screen. At one point, when we're told St. Paul's Cathedral avoided being bombed, a choral score kicks in on cue, clearly designed to heighten the moment emotionally — but it just feels forced. Once you notice moments like this, it's hard to unsee. Sometimes less really is more. That's perhaps the best summary I can give of Britain and the Blitz overall. There are some interesting anecdotes, and the first-hand accounts do help ground the documentary emotionally. But the narrow focus, stylistic overreach, and lack of broader historical insight all hold this back from being truly memorable. It's not an outright bad documentary — but compared to so many others on this subject, it sadly slips into forgettable mediocrity.
