Emily Benn

Dr Pratima DasGupta Bowes, 1923-2018

@HSBC_UK I had to reinstall my app, and am waiting for you to verify my ID so I can regain access. Your website says you’ll notify me within 24 hours - it’s now well over 36. When can I please expect a response? I urgently need access

Today the @DailyMail published the findings of my two-year investigation "The Brass Pass" into the hidden epidemic of domestic abuse suffered by military wives and girlfriends. A dossier of 52 cases reveals torture by Army men against their wives.

So let me get this straight: 1. Petty activism against a Palestinian-owned cafe is bad (agreed!) 2. But *violent* activism against a cafe that people associate (wrongly!) with Israel is justified and understandable Update your rule book accordingly

@TheSimonEvans Funnily enough the article also mentions Costa, which is also subject to banal BDS boycotts because of its distant corporate ownership. But there's no mention made of that because, hmmm, maybe (Jews) the real complaint (Jews) is something else (Jews)...

5 February 1945 Special Operations Executive agents Violette Szabo, Denise Bloch and Lilian Rolfe are executed at Ravensbruck concentration camp.

39 years ago this month Inspector Morse was first broadcast. Many in the TV industry doubted that the two-hour format (100 minutes running time) would work. Others thought it was too cerebral and slow moving. The series proved a huge success, both in the UK and globally. 1/

@Wise @karlkue @Wise, that security cheque excuse is standard, but the 5-day script when you promised 10 minutes? That's not on.

In his memoirs 'The Long Road Home', Gideon Behrendt wrote about his part in demilitarising the German forces: ‘We didn’t have to fight the enemies anymore but now had to disarm them, sort them out and separate them according to the following categories: Wehrmacht: solders and other ranks; Wehrmacht: officers and senior officers; SS-Personnel: other ranks; and finally SS-Officers and senior officers. It felt like cleaning up a shop or business after closing hours, after the customers had gone but the staff had to work on. Each of the above groups had to be registered and be sent to the appropriate POW camp. The initial groups were the first to be Denazified and released to become civilians once more. As each of the men stood before me for questioning and I filled the required forms as per instructions, the same question persistently haunted my thought: ‘Did this man without a face actually kill any of my people?’ The more I heard and learned about the Final Solution for the Jews, the extermination camps, the gas chambers and the Nazi obsession for killing, Jews in particular, the more my soul was torn and tormented. And yet, here I was looking at the same men who had until recently been very proud members of the ‘Master-race’, with raised arms in Nazi-salute, shouting “Sieg - Heil - Sieg - Heil – Sieg – Heil” at the top of their voices. Now they stood before me silent, their heads bowed - defeated. My heart ached and if possible I might have cried out in pain, but I was duty-bound to treat them ‘fairly’, as ‘gentlemen soldiers’, as a losing team after a football match, not as creatures that had destroyed cities and subjugated whole nations, not as murderers of innocent men, women and children.’ (end).

The ongoing building safety/service charge, which has ruined the lives of millions, continues to be one of the great political scandals of our time. It remains astonishing how many young people and families continue to be left in limbo and face crippling costs. If this (largely) affected pensioners, we’d talk of little else.

In the seventh circle of hell with @Wise - online chat supremely unhelpful with an urgent issue I am facing. Can anyone please advise?

"Be proud of what you do for your country, and for your families, to keep them safe"🗣️ 🎄The Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, has used his Christmas message to thank everyone who serves – and their families

We pause today to remember Lance Corporal George Hooley as he returned home to the UK. Before his passing, Lance Corporal Hooley wrote a letter to his family and friends to be opened in the event of his death. At their request, we now share his words with you. Our thoughts remain with his family, friends and colleagues. May his words bring comfort to all who read them.

Another political conspiracy of silence. Conservatives soaked the rich and protected middle earners who pay less direct tax than in other countries and than for decades in UK. If we want more revenue we need broad based tax rises. Can’t all come from some mythical rich “others”

This evening on Armistice Day, The King and Queen, joined by The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess of Gloucester, spent time with extraordinary veterans who served in the Second World War in the Pacific. This year marked the 80th anniversary of VJ-Day, which in effect brought World War 2 to an end.

In loving memory of Captain Oliver Williams Benn, 1887-1915 Flt Lt Michael Wedgwood Benn, 1921-1944 Captain Frederick Christopher Benn, 1912-1941 Lest We Forget

As ever, the political debate seems to be focussed on how we tax wealth, not how we grow it - for all. At some point, it would be nice if we could focus more efforts on the latter, and confront the rather uncomfortable truths about our economy the answers will quickly reveal

Saturday, September 20th 2025: Part Two Our evening celebration, again captured by David Burke

Saturday, 20th September 2025 As captured by David Burke

Captain Lizzie Godwin was an extraordinary young woman, officer, and such fun to be around. Her death is an unimaginable tragedy

Free advice on a sunny Friday: Avoid @RATANDBOA - terrible customer service and processes