The Editor writes …

I must apologise to contributors, advertisers, and readers for the delay in getting this issue out. It was 95% complete on Tuesday 27 June, with only four pieces and a few photos to be finished. I started to feel very unwell on the Wednesday morning and was taken by ambulance to The Horton in Banbury, with a very high temperature and feeling very shivery. A CAT scan and blood tests later I was transferred to the JR in Oxford with a diagnosis of probable gallstones blocking my bile duct. This was confirmed with a MRI scan - all within 24 hours. Then heavy antibiotics and six days waiting for a slot for the procedure (ERCP) to “flip out the gallstone”. This happened on Wednesday 5 July, then 24 hours rest before I was allowed home for the weekend. Only then could I complete work on this issue. But back to the JR next Tuesday for (I hope) removal of the Gall Bladder. Thank you, NHS!

Some information in this issue will be a bit out of date as you will be reading it around 14 July. There is an obituary for Daphne Bellman (pages 30-34), John Stephens writes about his memories of wartime London (pages 14-16), there is a report and photos of Launton’s Under 12s winning the Easington Tournament (pages 40-41). The centre pages(24-25) has a report and photos from Years 5 and 6 pupils about their lino printing. The cover shows the Spitfire visiting on 3 June for the Family Fun Day.

Robert Cornford