Just a few moans

Not been a good week.

We applied to Suffolk Coastal District Council for a small grant to keep the radio station going. It was refused.

We submitted a tender to Suffolk Coastal District Council for a contract to tell the council what to do with the Spa Pavilion, a 900-seat theatre on the seafront at Felixstowe. The 'we' were about 30 local people, all experts in their field. I had a little idea

You guessed that was turned down as well. It's easy to get paranoid but there is one councillor, she's been on the council for 38 years, who seems to dislike me. No doubt with good cause. I believe she should step aside, and let new blood onto the council. Instead she intends to be mayor again, this will be the fourth time.

On Easter Sunday seven years ago a part of British Rail, the part still owned by the people, sneakily knocked down our Beach Station. A wonderful old-fashioned station, which was only small but had 14 toilets to cater for the thousands of sun-seeking visitors to the beach at Felixstowe.

This town is becoming a wasteland as the council grant planning permission for dubious schemes, which allow demolition of fine old buildings, and the ground is not developed. , The Felixstowe South has not gone ahead.

Another big worry this week concerns the Bartlet Convalescent Home. Given to the people of east Suffolk in 1928 it was acquired by the new NHS in 1948 (seized might be a better description) together with sufficient funds 'to maintain it in perpetuity'.

The dying Suffolk NHS Trust want to convert it into luxury flats. The local community wants it back.

One week of the Big Society in action in a small seaside resort.

Belstead House

Join me in bashing a head against a brick wall. It could be yours or even my head that gets such treatment but I'd rather we were more selective. Let's look at local councils. Today I am incensed, so badly upset I'm not sure that I should even mention the cause of of dismay.

I am indescribably incensed.

Let's instead deal with another small case of stupidity. On the outskirts of Ipswich

Belstead House, Sprites Lane, Ipswich, IP8 3NA Tel: 01473 686321 http://www.belsteadhouse.co.uk/

Is a beautiful house used as a conference centre and residential courses. It's a great place, well-loved and well-used but unfortunately it is owned by Suffolk County Council.

Yes, we spend £218,000 a year on our CEO, who spends more of our money an hour than students pay for an instructional and enjoyable residential full-board weekend. 

Compare the two: what would rather have?

I cannot understand why local council officers can receive such salaries.

Furthermore I see no reason why we should sell off a wonderful resource that we have bought, paid for and maintained for many years. A centre that brings so much pleasure to so many people.

It is a disgrace. There's a petition you can sign - but don't be surprised it it's ignored:

http://petitions.web-labs.co.uk/suffolkcc/public/

Lesley Howard & Winston Churchill

I've been poncing around with radio stations for the past few years, at the (great) expense of my little book publishing site: www.braiswick.com.

Interest was sparked off for me this morning when I heard that a national newspaper (one doesn't like to encourage them so I'll not add their name) has 'discovered' evidence that the Portuguese aircraft shot down in 1943, which killed the Hungarian-born actor Lesley Howard, was just a random gesture, and had not been targetted because Churchill was on board.

Their 'evidence' came from a report of the questioning of a captured Luftwaffe pilot.

It may not have been correct. Ken Ward, a German Jew who escaped to Britain nine days before the start of the war in 1939 (I published his biography 'And Then The Music Stopped Playing: http://www.braiswick.com/?p=57 - a great story) died in 2010.

His widow, Joyce, has asked me to publish a collection of his short stories, which will be published very soon.

In one tale he meets two school friends from his childhood in Frankfurt, after 70 years apart.

One friend talked of his Squadron Leader Hans von Stassen, with whom he was very friendly, who had been a very successful Messerschmidt pilot, with many kills to his name, who was called into his Commander’s office at the end of May 1943. Two high-ranking SS officers were there, one of them direct from the Wolffs Schanze, the Führers headquarters in Russia.

This officer addressed him, “Von Stassen, you are very honoured to have been selected for a very special job. Under no circumstances will you discuss your orders with any one, either now, or when your mission has been completed. Is that understood?"

He said there would be a civilian airline plane leaving Lisbon at 9.15 pm on the 1st June, turning north towards Britain. One of the passengers would be Winston Churchill, because he has been clearly identified by one of our best intelligence officers. Von Stassen was told to shoot down the plane.

Which he did.

If you have read this blog you have just heard about a world exclusive. Buy Ken Ward's book of short stories, and make me and his widow, Joyce, both rich and happy.