Our round-up of the funny, fascinating and unusual stories this fortnight

MILLICENT BRADFORD dithered about going down to Portsmouth on the train. It was cold, that January of 1942, and obviously there was a war on. Travelling about was frowned upon, unless one really had t

“You can’t live here. There are no shops,” my friend Jen stated. We were sitting in the van belonging to the pub I lived in, the Golden Cross, Slough, waiting for my parents who had an interview for t

These days, we associate autograph books with celebrities. But they originated in 16th-century Germany, where university students used to collect signatures from their classmates, and functioned as an

How a group of women risked their lives to protect their nation in WWII and shatter social norms

Diana is finding a different rhythm to life in her new home, a 150-year-old cottage in the Scottish borders. And she’s welcoming this fresh start