All About Me

In April and May, 2022, a group of brain injury survivors met at Headway, in Gloucester, to talk about how their lives have been changed.   Sharing stories was therapeutic.  The nature of the injuries included stroke,  hemorrhage and accident.  In many cases speech was affected and one of the common themes which emerged was the frustration at not being understood.  This is our account of how Acquired Brain Injury has affected us.If you have a traumatic brain injury or you are a carer, friend or relative, Headway Gloucestershire can help you.  Visit www.headwaygloucestershire.ork.uk.

For four days, between April 22nd and April 25th 1951, seven-hundred men of the Gloucestershire Regiment stood against 27,000 Chinese troops in the Korean War. The Battle of Imjin River could only result in death or capture for the 29th Brigade of the Glorious Glosters. Their orders were to delay the Chinese long enough to allow United Nations forces to regroup and protect Seoul; had they broken through the capital would have fallen. The Glosters were surrounded but, crucially, they stopped the attacking forces controlling the road to Seoul. This is the Battle of Imjin River, told by the men who were there. This is the story of the Last Stand at Imjin. (This documentary was broadcast on BBC Radio in 1996, marking the 45th anniversary of the action. The programme has been digitised from the original quarter-inch tape). Produced and presented by Andrew Vincent

VE Day news bulletin, recorded as if BBC Radio Gloucestershire was on air on May 8th, 1945.

In 1995, I recorded three news bulletins as if BBC Radio Gloucestershire was on air on May 8th, 1945. The bulletins brought the latest news from Europe and stories happening in Gloucestershire on the day. #news #latestnews #breakingnews #headlines #VEDay #BBC #Archive #History #Radio #75thAnniversary #Anniversary

Here is the VE Day news as BBC Radio Gloucestershire would have broadcast it on May 8th, 1945.

We take face to face communication for granted now. We have Zoom, Skype, Teams, Face Time, Facebook Live - a whole host of platforms which allow us to see each other, no matter how far apart we are. The COVID-19 lockdown has brought a growth in the use of visual communication.There was a time when visual technology was untried and unreliable. It was the realm of science fiction. Back in 1993 I reported on the launch of Britain's first 'affordable' video-phone.

When heavy snow falls, the job of keeping Britain moving falls to teams of drivers who head out on to the roads most people avoid.The gritters get their share of criticism, but it's a tough job. They have to prioritise the main routes and try and keep up with the changing weather.Andrew Vincent watched Gloucestershire's gritters swing into action on one snowy night.

Every day the RAF operates flying petrol stations. Refuelling tankers, flying from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, patrol Britain's skies topping up military aircraft on missions.Transferring thousands of gallons of fuel 20,000 feet in the air and flying at 400 miles an hour takes co-ordination and precision from the pilots.This is a typical day at one of Britain's flying petrol stations.

This is a sample of a live broadcast from 20,000 feet over the North Sea. I was on board an RAF refuelling tanker taking part in a NATO exercise.The piece was a logistical challenge. My signal from the aircraft had to be picked up by a transmitter on the Isle of Wight. That signal was then sent to another transmitter in Portishead, which converted it to a telephone signal to be bounced on to BBC Radio Gloucestershire. I had to talk to each transmitter in turn as the chain was established.You cannot use a mobile phone in a petrol station and the same rule applies on a refuelling tanker; no jets were allowed to refuel while I was broadcasting. So the RAF was holding a flight of Harriers in formation while I did my broadcast. That meant I had to tell the story clearly in a short window of time - 2' 45".

Boxing booths used to be a regular sight at fairgrounds. Punters would be challenged to take on the trained fighters with the promise of a few pounds winnings. They also offered valuable training opportunities for wannabe boxers who couldn't afford to go to a gym or pay for sparring partners; some would follow the booths around to use as free sparring.They fell into decline. People were reluctant to risk a beating and injury for a few quid. Britain's last boxing booth was run by Ron Taylor. He died in 2006, aged 95. I visited him in 1994 to find the fairground fighters were still clinging on.

May 1st, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of the last broadcast of one of Britain's most infamous traitors. William Joyce was known to millions as Lord Haw Haw. Between 1939 and 1945 he broadcast from Germany to British homes, trying to undermine morale on the Home Front.Despite his crude propaganda, he attracted a huge audience. His execution remains controversial; did the British courts have the right to hang him when so many others who betrayed the country escaped with prison sentences?This is the story of patriot-turned-traitor, WIlliam Joyce.

The role of the BBC has been under the spotlight during the Coronavirus pandemic; for many it has been a vital source of news and information. Some critics have accused the Corporation of both scaremongering and playing down the crisis.We are approaching the 75th Anniversary of VE Day - the end of the Second World War in Europe. The BBC's role as a public service broadcaster had already been tested during the General Strike of 1926; should it be a government mouthpiece, as Winston Churchill thought at the time, or should remain a neutral voice - as the then Director-General, Lord Reith thought?In 1939 the BBC faced a new challenge. Should it be a flag-waving cheerleader or a voice of impartiality? Here's how Auntie Beeb came of age in the Second World War.

Friday May 8th, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of the war in Europe. After six years and fifty-five million deaths, Europe was at peace. The Far East campaign - the Forgotten War - would continue for another three months. But VE Day marked the beginning of the end.Using BBC archive and music from the period, From First Shot to Last Post, traces the Second World War through the eyes of the correspondents. From the declaration of war on September 3rd 1939 to the Japanese surrender on Spetember 2nd, 1945, this is the story of the world's most brutal period.

With Britain in lockdown during the Coronavirus outbreak, the Blitz Spirit has been invoked again and again. It was the time, in 1940 and throughout the war, when the British people were at their best.Or were they?Is the Blitz a fitting model for how we conduct ourselves during the Corvid-19 crisis? Or is it a myth? Were we as noble in suffering then as we like to think? Or was self-interest, opportunism and cheating the system just as rife then?Let's examine the Myth of the Blitz Spirit.

The 18th and final episode of All About Me. Not the ending I expected, thanks to a life-changing incident a few months ago. The event did bring into perspective everything I have been talking about in this serious. It's been emotional. Bye. xx

Families have their skeletons, their black sheep and their secrets. Some are known only to a few and people can live in blissful ignorance for years. When a secret is revealed it can both confirm suspicions and confound expectations.

We are all copies of our parents, no matter how much we think we have broken away. It's almost de rigueur to blame Mum and Dad for the problems in our own lives. The author Ian McLaren said, "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." That includes those two people we think should be molding us into sorted human beings.

When Mum died, my moment of reflection was interrupted by a late visitor. Her best friend was never on time and she didn't change a habit of a lifetime at Mum's deathbed.

On a trip to Australia, Greta meets the the delightful, the delectable and the shaggable Magnolia Thunderpussy and witnesses the ascendance of one queen and the decline of another.

How I came to be bad-ass in Wyoming. If you come lookin', you better come armed.

Being accused of something you didn't do is a sting which won't go away. When it strikes at your personal hygiene and cleanliness, it is especially cruel.

In the words of the Police, I can't stand losing. So I have hit upon an attitude which means I never lose; never take part.

We are only the stars in our own life-movie. In everyone else's we're just an extra. This is the story of an extra in my life movie, George. One day I realised he had plans of his own.

Birds and tortoises; two creatures which give me the creeps. How did such harmless animals becomes symbols of terror for me? It all comes down to childhood trauma. Well, 'trauma' is over-stating it. But the incidents scared the crap out of me. Oh, and guinea pigs; I have a thing about them, too.

Greta moves on to primary school where he clashes with the monarchy, becomes a socialist, learns to read and adjusts to the smell of rotting corpses.

Most children are put on stage at some point, whether they want it or not. You are never too young to be dressed up, taught lines and thrust in front of a roomful of people. Some thrive, some die.This is my acting career. Those who shine brightest, burn shortest.

Doing business in a pre-internet age; before the Rag and Bone man was a singer.(Parental warning; this podcast does contain Max Bygraves).

Pimping your mum out for free ice cream. A whole new meaning to 'Shall I put a flake in that?'

Learning about the birds and the bees is a big moment in any kid's life. We often pick up a lot of myth and misinformation before the teachers can get to us. My dad was drunk when he told me so his ramblings were added to the playground gossip I'd already learned. It could have scared me for life.This episode contains references to naughty bits and sex stuff. If it bothers you, you need to get out more.

After the Morning School for Little Ones I moved on to St Marks Infant School which was ruled by Mrs Silk. She was mad, prone to pulling her hair out and with an unusual concept of appropriate punishment. If nothing else, I learnt how to answer the phone as her 5-year-old press-ganged secretary.

I was the only child in our street, so my mum decided I needed to meet other children. She found a kindergarten which, she thought, must be good because it charged in guineas. That's where I met the first woman to scare the crap out of me.

All the cool people were born early enough to appreciate the 60s. I was born in 1962 so I was too young to join in. My cultural nursery was the 1970s, with their bad hair, bad clothes, Mike sodding Yarwood on a Saturday night, strikes and strife. In Episode One, I arrive late to the party that was the 60s, to find everyone has hooked up and all that's left is a warm bottle of Blue Nun.Parental Guidance; this episode does include a foul-mouthed toddler.