Dennis Abbott

Hack, author, dad, @laurahoulgatte hubby, Chair @RoyalBrussels, @BrusselsTimes scribe, @LesGuides1815, ex @TheSun @EU_Commission @BursonBrussels 🇬🇧🇧🇪🇫🇷

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

@DannyDrinksWine The Belgian premiere of the film screened at the Eldorado in Brussels on 20 November 1963 & raised funds for @RoyalBrussels, the Royal Air Force Association, Fonds des Barbelés (the federation of former prisoners of war) and La Saint-Nicolas des petits déshérités

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

Are Belgian women sexier? https://t.co/VvBUXt4e8O

[Marcus Cribb @mcribbHistory]

"By God Sir I've lost my leg..."

"By God Sir, so you have."

As the closing shots of the French guns are fired, one explodes near Wellington & Uxbridge, that later loses most of his leg.

It is later amputated. He had several clever prosthetics made so he could walk (& dance).

[Marcus Cribb @mcribbHistory]

On the evening of the 18th June 1815, about 3 miles south of Waterloo, Wellington met Blucher (reportedly) for a short exchange, Wellington spoke several languages, but not German fluently & Blucher had little English.

They met outside the Belle Alliance Inn.

[Royal British Legion, Brussels Branch @RoyalBrussels]

20 June Act of Remembrance in Evere 'holds unique significance for the British and Commonwealth expat and military communities in and around the capital' https://t.co/vzMYzcq3wV

[Marcus Cribb @mcribbHistory]

The night before Waterloo.

There was torrential rain, men slept in the open, attempted to get what rest they could.

Local orchards were felled for wood, farm furniture & crucially the doors of La Haye Sainte were broken & burnt.

Wellington's Anglo-Allied army awaited the dawn.

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

My Op Telic memoir, described by the publisher as 'an anecdote-packed daily diary recounting the author’s experiences as a reserve officer and media handler with 7 Armoured (the Desert Rats) and 19 Mechanized Brigade', is currently 35% off. A bargain! https://t.co/TguKbXGikB

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

Why do the three VAR referees only have two seats? Is FIFA trying to save cash? @FIFAWorldCup

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

Witch-hunting along Wallonia's river Lomme. A gruesome tale from fellow Substacker Hugh Pope https://t.co/36jhObvGTf

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

How far can Belgium go in the World Cup? I thought I'd ask #EdenHazard https://t.co/ndZytI29gb

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

If ever there was a popular actor whose most famous role was diametrically opposite to his own life , surely it was Arnold Ridley. He became famous and very popular for playing Private Godfrey in the hugely popular tv series Dads Army. His character of Godfrey was elderly, doddery, kind, polite, mildly incontinent and a conscientious objector.
But Mr Ridley's life could not have been more different. Born in 1896 he tried to enlist at the outbreak of WW1 in 1914 but was turned away because of a hammer toe. But he was accepted by the Somerset Light infantry in 1915 and sent to the Western Front.

In the space of a year he saw much hand to hand fighting in the trenches He was stabbed in the groin with a bayonet and his legs were riddled with shrapnel. In 1916 at the Battle of the Somme his left hand was rendered forever almost unusable by another bayonet wound , at the same time he was smashed in the head by a German rifle butt which left a legacy of blackouts. He was then medically discharged that year.

He rejoined the army in 1939 as a 2nd Lt, his job was looking after journalists in France attached to the BEF, was evacuated on an overcrowded warship during Dunkirk operations from Boulougne. But by now his WW1 wounds were catching him up and he left the army on medical grounds in 1940.

He immediately joined the Home Guard in Caterham! He did of course go on to write The Ghost Train.

Arnold Ridley passed away in 1984. A true hero who gave so much to our country. R.I.P.

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

@mccullgr Fascinating. Many thanks for the link

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

I wonder if dummy tanks like this could still deceive an enemy today? The story behind 'Operation Fortitude' https://t.co/iARogrHGdq #DDay82

[Royal British Legion, Brussels Branch @RoyalBrussels]

Inflatable tanks & lorries, aimed at tricking the enemy into thinking the Allies would land near Calais, were part of the D-Day deception plan. Here are 10 things you might not know about 6 June 1944 #DDay82 https://t.co/qKHYEgiAgm

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

@FrogPrince1966 @ReassessHistory 'gingered up' - not an expression you hear too often now

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

Up yours, Hollywood: MEPs Emma Rafowicz & Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus take to Insta to oppose #Paramount merger w/ #WarnersBros https://t.co/tS0SvpbloG

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

No Shah, no Sheik. Some thoughts on #Iran https://t.co/sMX2WFOS5k

[Annie Bishop @AnnieBishop123]

We’ve come a long way baby or at least we thought we had. I found this letter in the house that I bought

[Arquivo Curioso @arquivocurioso]

1900 - 2025: 125 anos de evolução na moda feminina.

🎞️ vgraphs/IG.

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

Short nap: Prince Laurent falls asleep during the Queen Elisabeth Competition. An evening full of top classical music, but not everyone in the audience seemed equally captivated https://t.co/dLih5zsCOb

[Dennis Abbott @DennisAbbott]

@RomboutLuc I always talk about the Dutch-Belgian angle on my guided tours at Waterloo. Brought an extra 17,000 troops to Wellington's army. But it's complicated because Belgians also fought on Napoleon's side @LesGuides1815