September, 2026 | >Re-PHOTO

The New Trafalgar Dispatch – 2005

Staines, Sunday 4th September 2005

The New Trafalgar Dispatch: At a protest in Whitehall the previous day, I had “made the mistake of climbing up onto the small wall by the edge of the grass, which produced a nasty snapping feeling in my knee, leaving me in pain.” So on Sunday 4th September I didn’t feel up to travelling to cover events in London, and instead went to photograph this local event – part of a wider national event – in Staines celebrating the rapid journey to London after the first ship docked at Falmouth following the battle of Trafalgar and brought the news both of the victory and of the death of Admiral Nelson.

Despite limping badly and painfully I seem to have managed a very full coverage of the event – which you can still view on My London Diary. Here below is the text I wrote in 2005 and a few of the pictures.

Nelson’s final prayer, on 21 October 1804 [the day of the Battle of Trafalgar] included a plea for God to grant victory “to my country and for the benefit of Europe in general.” He continued: “may no misconduct, in any one, tarnish it, and may humanity after victory be the predominant feature in the British fleet.” These noble sentiments were not empty words, and when the battle was over, British sailors would risk their lives to save those of their French counterparts.

I thought about the humanity towards refugees and asylum seekers currently being shown by our New Labour government during the new Trafalgar Dispatch events at Staines on Sunday and felt a sense of shame about my country.

But we were celebrating greater times, although 200 years ago the events were also tinged with great sadness. Along with news of Britain’s great victory, Lt John Richards Lapontiere also brought news of Nelson’s death on his rapid voyage to Falmouth and express post-chaise journey from there to London – covering the 271 miles on land in 37 hours. One of the many places his coach picked up fresh horses was the Bush Inn at Staines, then one of the major market towns of Middlesex, and only two stages from the Admiralty in London.

The Bush is long gone, as also is the bridge across which his coach ran, but Sunday saw actor Alex Price playing the role of Lapontiere coming by coach – from Homebase just down the road (more or less on the old Staines boundary) – into Staines and onto the bridge where he was met by the Mayors of Runnymede and Spelthorne and the Lord Lieutenant Of Surrey (all women.) It was a day full of anachronism, as neither Runnymede or Spelthorne existed at the time of Trafalgar, when Staines was one of the main market towns of Middlesex.

After a brief ceremony on the bridge, proceedings moved on to Staines Old Town Hall, a fine Victorian building given away at a derisory price recently by the local council to the disgust of most if not all locals to become a [short-lived] pub.

*A septet from Staines Brass Band, founded as Staines United Temperance Band in 1930, provided the music for the Trafalgar service*

Another short performance there ended with copies of the new Trafalgar Dispatch and a copy of the original being officially presented to the Mayors and Surrey, before a plaque was unveiled on the town hall wall and an Anglican service held at a ‘drumhead church‘ in the fountains in the Market Square – turned off for the day [and more or less ever since].)

I’d stayed in Staines for this event partly because of my painful knee. I was surprised to find how much I had to move around even to cover a relatively simple event such as this. And yes, it hurt.

More pictures on My London Diary.

A few days later I added:

“A visit to my doctor’s [the following day] produced some [powerful prescription only] tablets that soothed the pain, and the advice that physiotherapy on the national health involves a wait of several months – by which time it would probably be fine anyway. Private treatment of course is available more or less on the spot, and he recommended the physios based at a local sports centre.

It’s not the cost, but the principle that stopped me ringing them to make an appointment. I grew up with the national health, orange juice and cod liver oil from the clinic, medicines and treatment when you needed them – not just if you could afford them. Prescription charges were a first step in the dismantling of the system, now more and more of it is being privatised in one way or another. National Health dentistry has more or less disappeared (and looks like going completely with government reforms next year.)

So I’m limping on, or rather trying not to limp, but get some gentle exercise without causing more damage and hoping time will heal.”

Slowly it did, and after a week’s rest I felt able to take some short walks in London and a couple of weeks later was back covering protests. But it was some months before I could walk without any pain.

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Kingston Carnival, Regent St Festival – 2006

Kingston Carnival, Regent St Festival: I went to Kingston upon Thames on Sunday September 3 2006 to photograph Kingston Carnival because I hoped to take at least one picture in the town to include in a show, Another London, I was preparing with two friends to take place in Kingston Museum in January 2007, and I made two pictures which ended up in that show.

But both were of Beeraahaar Sweet Combination, a prize-winning Carnival Mas Band based in Stamford Hill, Hackney, miles away in North London and with no real connection to Kingston. Kingston, formerly in Surrey, since 1965 has been a London borough on the edge of London, but until 2020 still home to the central offices of Surrey County Council.

Kingston Carnival began in 2001, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025, although this year it was postponed, but is planned to return in 2027.

Later I went to the Regent Street Festival in central London which had a Spanish theme. Below I’ll post with minor corrections what I wrote in 2006 and links to more pictures.

Kingston Carnival

Kingston, Surrey

A little bit of Hackney came to Kingston on Sunday morning to provide the Kingston Carnival. Hard to see why Kingston can’t put up its own carnival, but Beeraahaar Sweet Combination are a fine group that I’ve photographed at Notting Hill and Mardi Gras in Hackney, and even a small group of them gave the event a little atmosphere. Just a pity there weren’t more groups and people from Kingston in the parade to match them.

The stalls around the Guildhall showed there are a diverse range of communities in the area, but the parade didn’t really reflect this. Shipping in a carnival procession provides a little diversion, but surely the whole point of a borough paying for a carnival is to encourage community activities within its own boundaries?

More pictures on My London Diary

Regent Street Festival

Regent St, Westminster

From Kingston I caught the train up to town and to Spain, which was happening in Regent Street, closed to traffic for the day. Of course not closed to shopping, which perhaps rather limits what the organisers could do. I didn’t find the event too exciting, and the large crowds around anything that was going on reflected that too little was happening.

The police, mainly down a side street, were putting on a good show, one of the funniest I’ve seen for a long time, demonstrating how the police are supposed to restrain people, and use weapons such as pepper spray. The gulf between theory and practice is amazing.

I tried out a free sample of a revolting sherry-based drink, watched more Spanish folk dancers than was good for anyone’s sanity, avoided the sand on the ‘beaches’ and decided it was time to go home.

More pictures

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DPAC at BBC – Tell The Truth! 2013

Broadcasting House

DPAC at BBC – Tell The Truth! Although the BBC has some excellent reporters and produces some great programmes, particularly on Radio 4 and in its World Service, in its coverage of the UK it too often acts as a government mouthpiece. In particular few if any protests get reported, and I would be fairly sure that this one on Monday 2nd September 2013 at Broadcasting House got no mention in the day’s news.

Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) and the Scottish Black Triangle campaign came to protest at the failure by the BBX to report truthfully the effects of government cuts – particularly hard on the disabled – blocking the main BBC entrance to Broadcasting House for an hour.

The BBC of course relies on the government to award the licence fee settlement and it also appoints the members of the trust which is responsible for its running. And many appointments of senior staff – from the Director General down are essentially made by the government, so it is perhaps unsurprising that the BBC as a whole fails to offer any radical perspective on UK affairs.

When the Tories came back into power – at first with the help of the Liberal Democrats to whom they threw a few minor carrots (including the 2011 rigged referendum on proportional representation) they instituted an austerity programme that in particular targeted the disabled.

They clearly thought that supporting the disabled was a waste of money and that they would be an easy target to reduce benefits. DPAC and others had shown them they were wrong, with a series of direct action protests – which the BBC largely failed to report, although some were covered by foreign media.

Disabled people had several advantages which aided their protests. Firstly they enjoyed a great deal of public support which meant in particular that police (who often also sympathised with their case) had to handle them with much more consideration and care than non-disabled protesters, particularly when the press were present. Batoning people in wheelchairs would not be good for the public image – and I never saw it happen.

And secondly they presented practical problems for the police, particularly in making arrests of protesters in wheelchairs or on mobility scooters. Police cars and vans are not generally equipped to handle these safely. I can only remember one protest where the police had hired a suitable vehicle – and it only accommodated a single wheelchair.

DPAC invited me to photograph this protest and I met them in a nearby cafe to discuss final plans before making their way with legal observers and a few photographers unnoticed to the main entrance of the BBC building.

Here they spread across the doors and brought out their banners. BBC security failed to stop them but did manage to keep one door at the end free so people could still enter and leave the building.

*Many of the protesters spoke about why they were there, calling on the BBC to do its job and report properly on the effects of the cuts on the disabled*

A number of the protesters then spoke in turn about the failure of the BBC to report the real hardship caused by ATOS assessments and the withdrawal of benefits, benefit cuts and caps and the bedroom tax. They were all fed up with the BBC repeating the lies and half-truths of government and asked why the real problems and numerous deaths from the austerity programme and the protests over these were not being properly reported.

*BBC security try to move the protesters but after some argument they backed off*

The situation was dire for many poor and disabled people, with over 500,000 having to resort to food banks set up by churches and charities to fend off starvation.

The protesters chanted ‘BBC, Tell the Truth’ and called for someone from the BBC to come and discuss the issue with them – but no one came. They made clear they were not asking for special treatment for the disabled but for the BBC to live up to the reputation it once had for impartial reporting.

*Mark Thomas congratulated the protesters and expressed his support for their attempt to get the BBC to report in an unbiased manner*

They were joined for some minutes by activist comedian Mark Thomas who had been at a meeting inside the BBC. He recognised some of the protesters, talked with them and gave a short speech in support.

Shortly after two of the protesters in wheelchairs moved to lock themselves in front of the remaining open door closing it for the remainder of the protest. BBC security then called the police and two cars arrived.

Police talked with security and then came and talked to the protesters. The told the police it was a one hour protest and they would then leave peacefully. Police stayed and watched until the end of the hour when the protesters got up and left.

Before they did so, a BBC cameraman arrived having been asked to film the protest – not for news but for possible use in the future. “I joked with him he might try and sell the footage to Sky or some other broadcaster who were rather more likely to use it.”

Many more pictures on My London Diary at DPAC at BBC – Tell The Truth.

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Cycling The Colne Valley – 2004

Cycling The Colne Valley: The Colne Valley Regional Park was founded in 1965 but its development has been rather frustrated over the years, with the M25 being built along much of it and the M4 and M40 passing through, not to mention the increasing development of Heathrow – and if it ever goes ahead the third runway will cut a huge swathe through it.

The park stretches from Rickmansworth in the north to Staines in the south, and my bike ride on September 1st 2004 was only in the southern half of it, from Staines to Harefield and back.

Cycling The Colne Valley - 2004 — *Lock and bridge, Grand Union Canal, near Harefield, Middlesex.*

Somewhere close to West Drayton was a finger post showing a bridleway – the Colne Valley Trail – to Staines. I rode and walked past it on various occasions; it led just a few yards to a fence and a firmly locked gate. More than 20 years later the trail has still not managed to reach Staines, though the map on the park site shows it now ending on the Colnbrook Bypass, so perhaps some progress has been made.

As my account in 2004 below suggests, it was in some ways a frustrating ride, but the Grand Union Canal always has some interest as I hope the photos show. And there are some good short rides and walks in the park as well as places worth a visit – including Harmondsworth with its Great Barn – the village and others will be destroyed if Heathrow gets another runway and the barn may not survive being moved.

Here’s what I wrote in 2004.

On my bike

Staines – Harefield – Staines

September seems like the end of summer, but started with some of the best weather we’ve had this year, so I felt like a bike ride. I’m still waiting for the bridle path from Staines to West Drayton to open, so it started with the normal dusty trek up past the edge of the airport. A skeletal T5 (or are they building T6 or T7 as well) looms immense and threatening over the surrounding countryside, but there are no decent views past the fences and screening trees. I push on up to Harefield at speed before descending to the canal, only to find that I’ve picked the one bit of towpath that is actually closed for repair work.

*Offices along Grand Union Canal, Uxbridge, Middlesex*

So I take some other footpaths, and don’t so much get lost as overcome with uncertainty as one of these disappears in the middle of a gravel site.

I give up and take to the main road, soon to discover it’s a mistake. Eventually I get back to the canal and cycle back along the towpath all the way back to West Drayton to curse again the barred bridle path and the busy traffic and bicycle hostile road engineering – now in the rush hour – past the airport.

There are a few more pictures on My London Diary beginning here.

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