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Thanks to historical author Jessie Childs mentioning ‘Blighty Thank God’ during one of the UK’s leading history podcasts there was a holiday season jump in downloads to over 2000.

Without the internet, ‘Blighty Thank God’ couldn’t have happened. When the podcast series was first published in 2023, anyone, anywhere could access it via the web.

The Northern Echo newspaper featured the diaries of Ron Chapman in a feature article for its “Echo Memories” column by Chris Lloyd this week, part of Remembrance Day coverage.

A dear friend kindly wrote about his memories of Ron from our school days, as well as his thoughts on Remembrance Day.

What a joy when award-winning historical author Jessie Childs (pictured) contacted me via this website.

She found ‘Blighty Thank God’, published one year ago,  when delving into the fascinating life of her diplomat grandfather, Stephen Childs.

80 years ago, on June 6, 1944, Flt Sgt Ron Chapman was 5,000+km from the Normandy D-Day landings. Stationed in Egypt, he was probably ‘cheesed off’.  

In my father’s war diary, ENSA – the Entertainments National Service Association – features regularly.

One ‘Blighty Thank God’ episode highlights the Bristol Blenheim V plane – or as pilots dubbed it – the ‘Grisly Bisley’. Through research into my late father’s (Flt/Sgt. Ron Chapman) 1943 war diary I learned how it earned its macabre reputation.

Visit this website  to see pictures of British Hawker Hurricane Mark IIb fighter – BE208. To my surprise my father – Flt Sgt. Ron Chapman of (xxx)-  played a 6,000km part in its long journey from the UK to Asia.

This wedding photograph of my late parents – Ron and Monica Chapman – at St. Stephen’s Church, St. Albans, October 1946, was familiar to me growing up. After researching my father’s WW2 diary, discovered after both had died, it threw up a number of questions.