isabel sandywell

Four decades working for the NHS. Passion for languages, reading, art, walking, and social justice.

[Dr Helen Fry | WWII Historian @DrHelenFry]

#OTD in 1916: Waves of young men advanced across no man’s land into machine gun fire and artillery hell.

Their bravery remains etched in our national memory.

Lest we forget:
#Somme110

[Sharron Davies HoL MBE @sharrond62]

This says it all. And it’s time we speak in plain language & stop the word salad gaslighting.

[Blesma @Blesma]

Today is the 110th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.

Wilfred Whitfield lost his arm in the battle.

But there was no hero’s welcome when Wilf returned to England and his former employer shamefully sacked him. He was one of three disabled war veterans sacked on the same day.

But brave Wilf decided to take action and became the founder and chairman of the Teesside branch of Blesma. He raised funds and ran campaigns, writing to newspapers and politicians, to increase awareness of the plight of disabled veterans.

Join us in thanking Wilf for his service

[J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling]

You mean men, men who claim to be women. You are a national broadcaster that consistently obfuscates facts around sex because you’ve taken an ideological position the public overwhelmingly rejects. This isn’t news, it’s propaganda.

[Dr Helen Fry | WWII Historian @DrHelenFry]

On 23 February 1944, British intelligence recorded a Nazi officer calmly explaining the mobile gas trucks used to murder Jews.

Victims were tricked into lorries, gassed with exhaust fumes and buried in anti tank ditches.

This is how the killing started:
(🧵)

[Made In England @BuyEnglishMade]

Farmland should be classed as critical national infrastructure.

[Dr Helen Fry | WWII Historian @DrHelenFry]

SOE agent Violette Szabo wed Étienne Szabo just five weeks after their first meeting.

Étienne’s death at El Alamein spurred Violette to join the SOE’s ‘F’ Section.

Please take a moment out of your day to remember them:

[isabel sandywell @ISandywell]

My training as a RGN took place there where I qualified
So proud of the Elizabeth Garret Anderson Hospital Euston Road

[Proudofus.uk @ProudofusUK]

A woman sat a medical exam and beat every man in the room.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

So the men who ran it changed the rules.

That same year, to make sure no woman could ever do it again.

But she'd already won.

Her name was Elizabeth Garrett. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

It was 1865, and every medical school in Britain was shut to women. Oxford refused her. Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, the Royal College of Surgeons. Refused, all of them.

At one London hospital she got in as a nurse and sat in on the lectures, and did so well the male students signed a petition to throw her out.

So she read the rules until she found the one crack. The Apothecaries had to license any apprentice who passed their exam, and the charter never said the apprentice had to be a man. She studied in private, sat it, and passed with the highest marks in the room.

They had to license her. Then they slammed the door, rewriting the rules so no woman could ever do it again.

But she was already through. She took a degree in Paris because Britain still would not grant her one, built a hospital staffed entirely by women and a school to train the ones behind her, and ended her life as the first woman ever to be mayor of an English town.

We are the home of British heroes.

Not built by ads, not by the government, built by us.

Will you help Britain regain its Pride?
https://t.co/rih7iKwnvf

Be part of us. ☝️🇬🇧

Be Proud Of Us. 🙏🇬🇧

[Peyman Haghighi @Peyman223]

من #جاوید_خالص هستم. سربازی که حاضر نشده بروی معترضان دیماه شلیک کند و محکوم به اعدام شده. صدایم باشید!

[Muriel Gray @ArtyBagger]

Whether you’re a royalist, republican, or couldn’t care less, this not only acknowledged gratitude for those who support cancer patients, but absolutely made some unforgettable days for the hikers she met. 👏🌟

[John Cleese @JohnCleese]

I'm all for diversity. It enriches the parent culture and does wonders for creativity

But multiculturalism involves many cultures, not just one. So a culture that threatens domination over all the others is not one that advances multiculturalism

Multiculturalism demand respect for all cultures

It does not just demand respect for itself

[Times Radio @TimesRadio]

Times Radio’s @afneil remarks on Sir Keir Starmer’s defence speech, saying that when it comes to defence spending and welfare benefits, “benefits street won”.

“In terms of military preparedness, we’re now second last [in Nato].”

[Daily Mail @DailyMail]

SIR IAN BOTHAM: Join my fight to stop Miliband's monster turbines wrecking some of England's loveliest landscapes https://t.co/X9XE4r2tht

[Dr Helen Fry | WWII Historian @DrHelenFry]

A huge thank you to everyone who follows my X page, likes and shares the threads that I write!

Your support helps keep alive the extraordinary stories and legacies of the Greatest Generation.

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

In 1943, the Gestapo finally caught Raymond Aubrac, one of France’s most wanted Resistance leaders. The German secret police sentenced him to death, and his execution was only days away.

At the same time, his wife Lucie was six months pregnant with their second child. Most people in her position would have gone into hiding, grieved quietly, and prayed for a miracle.

Lucie Aubrac decided to do something completely different.

She got her hands on forged identity papers, created a believable cover story, and walked straight into the office of Klaus Barbie. History would later remember Barbie as the brutal Butcher of Lyon, but Lucie did not let fear stop her.

She looked him in the eye and successfully convinced him to grant her a final visit with her condemned husband.

But Lucie did not risk her life just to say a tearful goodbye. While she was inside the prison area, she was secretly memorizing the positions of the guards, counting the minutes between patrols, and mapping out the exact route the prison truck would take.

She was treating a desperate situation like a military operation.

On October 21, 1943, that prison truck rolled through the streets of Lyon. It was carrying Raymond and several other prisoners toward what should have been their final destination. What the German soldiers did not know was that Lucie had spent weeks quietly assembling a dedicated team of Resistance fighters.

She planned an ambush with absolute precision.

When the truck finally reached the chosen ambush spot, her team struck fast, coordinated, and without a single moment of hesitation.

In the middle of the sudden gunfire and chaos, Raymond Aubrac was pulled free from the truck. Lucie, who was visibly and unmistakably pregnant, had organized every single detail of his dramatic liberation.

Right after the rescue, the couple had to go into deep hiding. A few weeks later, Lucie gave birth to their daughter in a secret safe house while German forces searched frantically for them across France. They managed to evade capture until the war ended.

When liberation finally came, the Aubracs did not just try to sit back and recover from their trauma. Instead, they rebuilt their lives and continued to serve their country.

Raymond became a celebrated engineer and entered public life to help rebuild France's infrastructure. Lucie became a respected historian, pouring decades of her life into making sure that the women of the French Resistance were never forgotten.

She wanted to make sure these women, who were so often unnamed in the history books, were written permanently into the record. Together, the couple raised three children, traveled the world, argued, laughed, and grew old side by side.

Years later, journalists asked Lucie what had compelled her to risk everything on that dangerous October day. She did not hesitate for a second. She looked at them and said, "He was my husband. What else would I do?"

In his final years, he continued speaking publicly to young generations about the Resistance, the power of memory, and the absolute obligation to tell the truth about history.

When Lucie passed away in 2007 at 94, and Raymond followed her in 2012 at 97, they left behind a 64-year marriage that was a testament to the ultimate triumph of life and family over hatred.

Their love didn't just survive a war—it blossomed into a lifetime of shared smiles, proving that the greatest force in the world is a heart that refuses to give up on the one it loves.

[Canellecitadelle @Canellelabelle]

The unintelligence of people sometimes amazes me..😵‍💫
When someone like Meghan changes outfits 5 times in one day while simply sitting at Invictus, for no reason other than be seen. That makes sense to some people.
Now Catherine changing trousers during a grueling 24 hour, 23 miles hiking challenge of climbing three of Britain's highest peaks, THAT is suspicious and odd🤡
Have you ever worked out even for 1 hour in your life? You SWEAT.
How hard is it to grasp that "Hiking" is a LOT of leg work and is tough on the entire body, causing you to sweat profusely, especially through your trousers?🤡
Catherine hiked for 23 miles in 24 hours and climbed 3 different tops. Of COURSE, she would have a change of clothes, especially trousers and probably undergarments and tee in her rucksack.
She is the future Queen of the UK and is very aware that when she is in public, every aspect of her is scrutinised and dissected.
The proof is in all the people who spotted her and wanted to take pictures with her.
You wanted her to be looking smelly and stained with sweat to then be criticised for how she looks?🤡
"Oh it's not Catherine because she is wearing different bottoms" 😵‍💫
Are you unwell?
All these pictures are of Catherine, taken at different point during the challenge, by different people, who were pleasantly surprised and stopped to talk with her. They SAW her with their own eyes before taking pictures with her.
This is not rocket science, to cry out loud🤦🏽‍♀️
Catherine is out there setting goals and succeeding and she is living a happy life. She accomplished a very Arduous task to raise money for charity. She is doing her part.
Instead of worrying about her changing clothes, go achieve something that make you feel better about yourself instead of being bitter about her life, yes?😏☕️

[Uhuru Mzalendo @uhurumzalendo1]

When strangers keep your secrets better ❣️

Ted & Co. met Catherine 3x in 24hrs!
On every climb & passed each other driving 2 the places.

She asked them Not 2 tell anyone what she was doing.

16 strangers kept her secret until she could share it herself❣️
https://t.co/bYZPXwxLwp

[Sharron Davies HoL MBE @sharrond62]

Liberal women like these (& loads we have in the uk) are working against our daughters & grand daughters fair opportunities. Shame on you - virtue signalling numpties.

[Veterans’ Foundation @VeteransFdn]

⛰️🎉 Congratulations to Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales on completing the Three Peaks Challenge in support of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.

As Colonel of the Irish Guards and a longstanding supporter of the Armed Forces community, The Princess of Wales has consistently shown her commitment to those who serve and have served. Her latest challenge reflects that same spirit of resilience, service and giving back.

By sharing her own experience and raising awareness of the importance of holistic care, she is helping to highlight that recovery is about more than treatment alone. Emotional wellbeing, resilience and community support all play a vital role in helping people move forward after a diagnosis.

At Veterans' Foundation, we know the value of whole-person support. That's why we're proud to back organisations across the UK that provide life-changing support to veterans and their families, helping them rebuild their lives and thrive.

We congratulate The Princess on this remarkable achievement and wish her continued good health.

https://t.co/0F9OjAjyLW

[Suburban Duchess @SuburbanDuchess]

Catherine's accomplishment of hiking up the three tallest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales this past weekend made me pause and take notice of something unusual. Catherine tries to lead a normal life, as much as she can do that.
I think she wanted to do something like Pippa has done time and again, with Pippa loving ultra sports and biking long distances etc.
When cancer came to Catherine, it sounds like she responded in a normal way with disbelief and fear, hope and bravery. All of it.
I haven't had cancer, but watching those I love with it is eye-opening. Most make their peace with their bodies. Their cancer. And they fight. Catherine fought, because what other option does a mom of three younger children have? None.
To decide to hike 10,000 feet in 24 hours (if I have the numbers right, if not, well she climbed three very tall peaks and it was a beast) takes determination and dedication.
Catherine clearly put in the work to do this challenge. I wouldn't go near Ben Nevis now. But she did. And she did it without security, choosing to blend in with the other hikers.
I know a wimpy prince who wouldn't be able to do this. Seriously. Not that this is about him, but aren't you tired of his incessant whining about needing security for the wife who has zero followers? She pays people to follow her, and once they see her crazy, they move away from her as quickly as possible.
So to see the Princess of Wales calmly blending in with others is refreshing at the very least. I'll follow a woman who decides to take back her body from cancer and does it all on her own.
No selfies or wearing neon orange. Nothing to identify her as royalty. Nope. This woman went out there and finished what she started. Such an accomplishment!
What a determined (and fit!) princess the UK has.
I pray the cancer is gone for the rest of her life. And I hope people find her inspiring and aspiring. Well done, Catherine! Your family must be so proud of you!!