Tag Archives: the west australian

Stolen hero

August 13, 2008 – 8:00 am

An English news agency report from London last week audaciously claimed one of the great Aussie war characters as one of their own (Great Escape hero rejected Hollywood’s version of tale, page 18, August 8). The 1963 film The Great Escape was an adaptation of the best-selling autobiography by Paul Brickhill about the breakout from Stalag Luft III. But he was Australian, not British as published. Brickhill, who died aged 74 in 1991, was a Sydney journalist before joining the RAAF and being shot down over Germany in 1943. He didn’t take part in the Great Escape himself, though, because he was claustrophobic and could not cope with the confines of a tunnel.

By Craig Silverman | Posted in Newspapers | Comments

History lesson

July 11, 2008 – 2:20 pm

Old Sparky: The compilers and suppliers of our On This Day column deserve to learn a lot more about electric execution. The recidivist column wrongly stated that the first electric chair execution took place on July 7, 1890. In fact, it was Wednesday, August 6, 1890 in New York – ironically then known as The Electric City of the Future – that wife-killer William Kemmler became the first man executed in an electric chair. Although Dr George C. Fell said Kemmler “never suffered a bit of pain”, a reporter who also witnessed the execution wrote in the New York Herald the next day that “strong men fainted and fell like logs upon the floor”.

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Can’t imagine why they’d object

July 1, 2008 – 8:00 am

Winery sale: A report and headline in the State edition has upset South-West winemakers Marian and Kevin Squance (Vintners seek to cut and run as they can’t keep up with the big boys, page 3, June 26). The pioneering Margaret River wine couple have decided to sell their Willespie winery for retirement and health reasons and to concentrate on their other vineyard in the region.

By Craig Silverman | Posted in Newspapers | Comments

Somewhat high profile

June 27, 2008 – 8:00 am

Ming who? Several readers have challenged columnist Paul Murray on his description of former Liberal leader Sir Robert Menzies as “a relatively unknown Victorian lawyer” in the early 1940s when he made his Forgotten People speech (Family values party an odd political coupling, page 20, June 24). He had already been prime minister at that time. The writer blames jet lag.

By Craig Silverman | Posted in Newspapers | Comments

Peach, Not Beach

April 8, 2008 – 8:00 am

Freudian slip, slop, slap: Ironman Tim Peach is certainly a beach boy, but Beach is certainly not his surname (Partying swimmers warned over raunchy web photos, page 3, April 3).

By Craig Silverman | Posted in Newspapers | Also tagged | Comments

Lessons in geography etc.

March 27, 2008 – 8:00 am

Too cryptic: Although we had former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev visiting Assisi (Gorbachev the Christian, page 30, March 20), we relocated the tomb of St Francis of Assisi to Rome. It is, of course, where it always was: in Assisi.

By Craig Silverman | Posted in Newspapers | Also tagged | Comments