Rod Collins

Captain Vivian Hewitt
A brief biography of this very notable Grimsby born pilot who was a leading light in the earliest days of flying.
Another Lincolnshire man who should be much better known !
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D-Day Landings Memorial ~ Lest We Forget
67 years ago today allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy in France with casualties in excess of 10,000
We should never forget the sacrifice
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Holy Wells in Lincolnshire ~ A Comprehensive List
Here is a compilation of sacred sites featuring springs and wells that are said to cure ills and ailments of all kinds
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Mud & Stud Cottage in Lincolnshire and Jamestown America !
A look at the form of construction that went from Lincolnshire to the very first settlers in Jamestown America
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Who built the first houses in America ~ What did the first homes in America, as we’d know them today, look like ?
Very interesting and historically important questions and no doubt regulars will be thinking American history is not exactly local history for a Lincolnshire lad.
Well think again my friends - the first houses built in America were pure Lincolnshire . . .
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A small village near Barton-Upon-Humber in Lincolnshire holds quite an accolade - there was once an official Knights Templar presence there.
It makes it a very special place indeed
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Where was the Battle of Brunanburh ? in Lincolnshire !
The Battle of Brunanburg is arguably one of the most important battles ever fought in Britain and is of great interest
There’s also a mystery to be solved . . .
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Beesby, or Hawerby Cum Beesby sits just off the A16 in Lincolnshire, in between North Thoresby and Wold Newton.
It a lost - shrunken - Deserted Medieval Village and if you’re a sucker for earthworks then it is, quite simply, heaven !
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How to Identify Knapped Flints and Stone Tools
If you’ve found a piece of flint that has a sharp edge and appears to be shaped how can you tell whether it’s a prehistoric tool or just a piece of stone ?
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What are Lynchets ? What is that Terracing on Hills ?
Good questions and ones I posed myself - here’s a bit of information and an idea of what they look like
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How to Identify and Date Old Pottery
Having found a few bits of broken pot I’m keen to find out any tips or ‘Tricks of the Trade’ when it comes to roughly dating pottery shards to a certain point in history
All help, tips and opinions eagerly sought
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Barrage Balloons in Lincolnshire ~ A look at this specific form of defence against German air raids during World War II
A very interesting picture also accompanies this article
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Winteringham World War 2 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery ~ Scunthorpe H8 HAA
Following a tip-off from Val Mercer, whose father was a military policeman at Winteringham Camp, I set off in search, camera in hand to find out what stood between the German Luftwaffe, the River Humber and England !
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In the 14th century Somerton Castle in Lincolnshire had a Royal Visitor - that is to say a King Imprisoned !
King John II of France was imprisoned at Somerton Castle between 1359
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Humberston Radar Station ~ WWII early Warning in Lincolnshire
In 1941 a Chain Home Low early warning station was established at Humberston in Lincolnshire ~ I set about trying to track the site down today.
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Did the Knights Templar have a Presence in Aylesby, Lincolnshire ?
I was out and about yesterday having just revisited Aylesby Church I found myself on the Barton Street when I noticed a small lane which was no entry from my direction - the name had me seeking an opportunity to do a U Turn and go back in order to find the entrance to this lane - here’s why
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Licence to Crenellate
A phrase no doubt you regularly come across cherished reader, no doubt a few wonder what it means - well, wonder no more.
As your host seeks permission to fortify Goldeneye Towers do I still have to apply to the Queen for a Licence to Crenellate ?
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Barrow Haven is a small hamlet close to the Humber coast, near Barrow Upon Humber and Barton Upon Humber and was the site of a Heavy Anti Aircraft Battery during World War 2.
Today I was incredibly fortunate and got to look round the site and take some photographs - it’s a rare treat as there is no access at all to the site so take a look here instead.
This one’s a corker !
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I was at Humberside International Airport today !
Rest easy, I was not catching a flight out, volcanic ash from Iceland saved me from the possibility of leaving Lincolnshire, but there to check out an archaeological dig taking place on the site.
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The Wartime Defences at Horseshoe Point on the Lincolnshire Coast
Some pictures after a quick field trip and an appeal for further history and information
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Hitler, the Nazis and the Lincolnshire Boy Scouts
It sounds like an unlikely combination . . . that is until you read released MI5 top secret documents which tell of how Adolf Hitler tried to infiltrate the Lincolnshire Boy Scouts !
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Masonic Gravestones and Freemason’s Graves
As part of my mission to visit, photograph and research all the churches in Lincolnshire I’ve also decided to catalogue some of the interesting grave stones and tombs.
The Masonic tradition is one of increasing interest to me and something I’m researching all the time, to that end I thought it would be an interesting idea to try and record grave markers that have Masonic insignia on them.
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What a day I had today, I know it’s extravagant after a super day yesterday, but I’ll say it again . . . What a Day !
A glorious day out metal detecting in Lincolnshire - next to Abbey Clancy’s boyfriend I must be the luckiest man alive
See the results of my first ever trip with a metal detector
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Who, where, what or why is or was Sydnaceaster ?
Well, this was started, as many a quest has before, by an old map - a Saxon Map to be precise.
Dug up by historical bloodhound Neville it arrived wrapped in a plain brown envelope in my email box.
Hmmmmm I thought . . .
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How to find Roman artifacts or Roman finds in Lincolnshire
Now, settle back, close those other windows down and don’t you dare backclick to Facebook or Youtube because I’m going to tell you a tale.
I fully expect it to rock the world of archaeology to its very core - the last time something like this happened it was in Egypt and it involved some fella name Tut something or other.
Gather round folks I’ve got a story to tell
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