text:
Interview with Iris Done
ADoneI170710.mp3
Upon leaving school until her marriage, Iris worked for London County Council. After her marriage she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. She reported to Bridgenorth in June 1942 to be sworn in. After that, she went to Morecambe where she learned to drill and also had various injections. As she was already a shorthand typist, she didn't have to complete any trade training and therefore, upon completion of initial training, she was posted to Fighter Command at RAF Bentley Priory, Stanmore, where she stayed for the duration of the war. She worked in the Command Accounts Department. She was envious of the plotters, but accepted her job as a necessity. Iris describes her experiences working in central London before enlistment and afterwards when she visited her home in the south of the capital. With so many senior officers on site, entertainment at RAF Bentley Priory was first class, such as an open air concert by Glenn Miller. On the lead up to D-Day, she witnessed Field Marshall Montgomery, General Eisenhower and Arthur Tedder walking around the grounds in private discussions. Iris was billeted with civilians. She looks back with fondness and enjoyed the comradeship the forces provided. Demob came shortly after the end of the war, and with it the realities of financial hardship. This made Iris aware that she had been very lucky to serve in relative comfort.
Gemma Clapton
England--Middlesex
England--London
England--Shropshire
Royal Air Force. Fighter Command
01:11:24 audio recording
Pending revision of transcription
IBCC Digital Archive
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published 'as is' and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Ian Whapplington
Tricia Marshall
ADoneI170710
GC: Thank you very much for letting me do this. Tell me a bit about your life before the war.
ID: Um, well my life before the war I was working for the London County Council in County Hall, which of course doesn't exist anymore as a, and eh I was I wasn't reserved because my age didn't reserve me, so that's why I married in eh 14th of February 1942 and I had applied for call up because I thought that it was better, that having got married, to leave home in that way rather than go into a factory. I would have had to have done something you see. I couldn't have stayed at County Hall, so that's why I chose the WAAF and em I was, I was very pleased I did because I had some very happy times. It's amazing the comradeship in the services.
GC: Yeah.
ID: Anyway, I, as I say, I married in forty, forty one, forty two, eh February forty two, and I was, I was called up in June forty two. I had to eh report to Bridgenorth, which seemed a long way to me but eh we moved around so much in those days. Anyway I arrived at, I think it was Euston Station and em wondering what the dickens I was going into really. Got on the train, of course, and it seemed such a long journey and interesting in a way because it was the first time I'd actually seen coal and coal mining equipment. Em, I'd seen it on the eh on the films and things like that but I'd never actually been anywhere where they'd had coal mines. Anyway, we arrived in Bridgenorth and eh it was better then because there was a lorry waiting to take us to the camp and consequently the people that had been on the train, who obviously didn't know each other, so had had quite a lonely journey, we all met up and we started nattering wondering what the dickens we had let ourselves in for and eh we went to this, it was a large camp, I remember, and we were only there for, we were only due to stay there four days, which was to be sworn in and get our uniforms and various, you know, just get us used to the Services to some extent. So anyway we, we arrived there in, at supper time, and, and had the food was very good, very nice, I still remember. We had a very nice eh stew, but huh the jam, because we could have as much bread and marg as we liked, it was still on the plate, on the side of the plate which seemed rather strange. [chuckles] Anyway, after that we said, we were given our, what we called our irons, knife, fork and spoon and eh well when we came to wash it, we had to put the knife in the ground to clean it up, and there was this huge trough of ooh, quite brown looking water to wash the other things so it, it was all, all a little bit of a sham if you can imagine it. And anyway we, we, I think we were about eight to a hut and, and of course, it, it, life was so different and when we washed we had to wash in a public, another hut, which was sort of very public. But it's like everything you soon get used to it because everybody's in the same boat really. And um the four days went quite quickly, and then we were off to Morecambe. So that, that was another fortnight. You see I didn't have to do any special training because I was a shorthand typist and anybody who had that, that kind of skill, they obviously didn't want to train, it was expensive to train people, and we were already trained, so, and so, all, in the end we all more or le, similar people really on the whole. And em, anyway, we got to Morecambe and of course they have these em, what d'you call them, houses there, you know, boarding houses and, I don't know if you know anything about the North, I didn't know anything particularly, but the lady in the house is always the [emphasis] one, which leaves a poor little husband trotting along beside doing as he's told. Anyway they made us quite comfortable but eh it was all very bit primitive then of course, but em and eh then we had drill. We had to do that on the front. By this time we, we had a, I think they called them passion killers [mumbles] [chuckles] whatever they are. They, they, just you know, ordinary, ordinary pants, that eh they were sort of Airforce colour and of course, because we, we didn't have any special equipment, we did our drill on the front in these. Which of course the locals liked [chuckles] [unclear]. Anyway at eh every, every sort of coffee time, we went round and we stopped at various em hall, church halls mainly and there was normally a piano. Now if you had anybody who could play anything they, they really were the cats whiskers because we had a girl who could play "She'll be coming round the mountains", and [chuckles] and she played every time, she played the tune and we did the singing and I shall always remember that song. Anyway, we also of course had a lot of injections in case we went abroad or anything like that. So one weekend, we were feeling very sorry for ourselves, when we need injections, but other than that, we couldn't move around, we weren't allowed, we, we could look, look at you know, across at Sunderland, but we weren't allowed to go there and, as I say, we only, we only stayed there a fortnight. And then we moved on and, and of course we were saying "I wonder where we'll get posted?" And by this time we, we'd made friends and "Oh, I hope we go together," and all this business. Anyway, I, I was told that I was going to Fighter Command and eh my friend Betty who, who I'd made friends with, she was also going to Fighter Command so that was rather nice. And em where is this Fighter Command? It's in Stanmore in Middlesex. Which of course was quite good because I, we only lived in South London, so we knew that if we had a weekend or forty eight hours, as they say, we could get home. And so, we did this long, long, it did seem a long journey. We had to go to London and then from London down to Stanmore, which is the end of the Bakerloo line. So, so it's em, it was quite convenient for travelling really. And eh and then we were taken to Fighter Command which actually is a beautiful house. It, it belonged, it belonged to the Hamiltons. Now, he, Lord Hamilton was em, oh I can never think of her name, Nelson's girlfriend, I can never think of her name.
GC: Emma.
ID: Emma.
GC: I think it was Emma.
ID: [mumbles] So, it was, it was Lord Hamilton's estate really of course, and we didn't actually live in the big house, it was the Air Officer Commanding, and various officers, but there were some very high officers there, obviously, being in Command. And, but we were all in sheds in the grounds. Em, which is, is quite interesting. When I told the people at Stanmore, they said "Well I'm very glad. We wondered what those sheds were." So, so [chuckles] that was quite, quite good. So, anyway, em we were, we were shown these sheds and really, I must say, it was only really like a civil service job. But, of course, with all the restrictions obviously of a, of being in the Services. And we still had to do drill and stuff, but em we were then taken to our billets. But of course, it's a very nice residential district round there and we were, Betty and I were still together, which we were very pleased about, and then we came to this very lovely place, it was really a nice, lovely house, which was called Green Lane Cottage, in Green Lane, and, of course, they weren't people who wanted to have people billeted with them, but they were made to take however many they thought they could. But eh, they were two very elderly gentlemen. I believe they'd been West End solicitors and eh and, and their sister, and two maids, so you can tell we didn't have any cleaning to do [chuckles] so we were very lucky actually. Em anyway, that, that seemed very nice and it was very cosy, and it, it was a charming house, you know, and, and the old, old people, although they really didn't want us, they were quite kind. Every so often they'd leave a basket of apples in the, in our room. Or, or if Mr Churchill was speaking, and I think he did once or twice while we were there, they'd knock on the door and say, "Mr. Churchill's speaking. Would you like to hear him?" [chuckles] Which was nice of them. Anyway [chuckles] so, we sort of settled in to just ordinary office work really. Um, there was, now, it was Command, I was in Command Accounts and my friend was in Medical, but our, our two em huts were together, not working together but placed together. And so in the, in the office there were, I worked mainly for a Flight Lieutenant, em but we all had to do [unclear] the head of the department was an Air Commodore, then a Wing Commander, then a Squadron Leader, who was a regular. My, my officer who, who was only, who had joined up for the war, and eh and then the officer was in charge of civilians, so he was a civil servant. So em, that was, and we, you know it was a very nice atmosphere and he was a very nice officer I worked for. And of course in those, at that time everybody was referred to by their name, I mean, I was Mrs. Done, not Done. So it was, it was quite a, and eh as I say, the, I remember I used to get a newspaper in the morning and so did he and we used to exchange newspapers before we started, so it was quite, it was quite an easy thing in, in one way. The worst part of course, is in war you never know how long it's going to last and your life's come to a fully stop really, you know until war ends. But em you know, it was, we, we didn't feel that Command Accounts was very glamorous, but eh, obviously it's essential for people to have their money [chuckles] but em, of course, the glamour girls in eh, on the camp, which we didn't have anything to do with were, of course, the plotters. The plotters were, were right down in the, I don't know, tremendously deep into the ground. They'd made these, these offices and eh, and eh, you know, they, they always looked very glamorous and seemed to be very glamorous but eh, as I say, we, we, we were very lucky really to have such a, such a, a nice billet really, because obviously, being a Command, we had very good entertainment. We had em, often had West End shows, not really for us, but mainly for the bigger boys and we, we also once I suppose this was really em was really amazing em [telephone ringing in background] the red letter day was when Glenn Miller and his band came to play in the grounds. That was, that was really quite exciting as you can imagine. But he was, well he's always had, he always had a very good band and, so of course that was, we were always out and listened or very sure about it, but of course it wasn't very long after that that he had a plane, took a plane to Paris and got killed. So em we had actually heard him, just before, you know just before he died really. But [coughs] because there weren't many celebs in those days but there was one he, he was actually a newsreader called Alvar Lidell and of course, everybody was very thrilled because he was, he was called up was eh "Do you know who is here? Alvar Lidell." [laughs] I don't suppose he'd have made any, much of a hit these days, but anyway. So [pause] so I was, I was there for three and a half years, which sometimes seemed a very long time. You wondered if eh, you know, you really wondered if the war was ever going to end to be honest. And eh, and of course, very often you would see pilots who possibly had to come to report. Who obviously had been in a dog fight or something and terrible burns and things like that. But strangely enough we had no bombing there while I was there, but if you went out, South London and all round you know, there was the doodle bugs, but I don't think I was ever in any of those but you, you could have been and the people were there. But why they missed Stanmore I never can understand, but anyway that was lucky that they did. And eh so really life, as I say, it was, you know, it was, quite, quite pleasant in a way because comradeship is very, very strong in the Services and there was Betty and I and she was, as I say, in Medical where, and I was in a little office and the other girl in the office we made friends with um she, we all used to go round together. They used to call us the three musketeers. But eh because you see all, most of the officers, I think all of the officers, without exception, they all lived out in houses, they, they didn't, nobody lived on the camp. We had, we had army practicing and eh we would perhaps meet them for a, a, what I say a drink. We didn't even get much drink in the NAAFI, you know, coffee really and because they, they were obviously practicing em for D-Day you see, everything was working up to D-Day when, because I wasn't there for the Battle of Britain which of course was forty one. I came along after forty two, but of course there was an awful lot to prepare and one day walking in the grounds there was Tedder and Montgomery and Eisenhower, who'd obviously come down to talk about the eh, you know, the, the landings. So [chuckles] because they didn't know we existed but [chuckles] that was quite a, that was quite exciting really. Em but eh other than that, as I say, we were near Watford, so we were able to go to the theatre there if we wanted to. Em it, it was, it was really quite a good life. I can't really complain about it. It would have been worse I think before I joined up because, of course, being in South London and working in County Hall that was quite a journey and eh there was bombing. It could be at times when there was bombing, or, or the night before there had been bombing. I remember once going through Kensington and somebody saying, "Oh, yes, that shelter. Five hundred was killed last night." You, you know, because all those places were very, very badly hit. And so really it was much, much more dangerous before I was in the Service and [mumbles] I wanted to go to India. But unfortunately, I was married and I had to get my husband's permission [chuckles] and he wouldn't give it [chuckles]. I've always wanted to go to India [chuckles] but eh I never got there. I only got as far as Stanmore [chuckles]. But em, but as I say, it [pauses] we had, we had good food. We, we were, no well we had to, you know, work reasonably hard em and eh I, I don't know if Ken might have mentioned he, [chuckles] of course we being at Command we knew exactly where all the units would go, all the Fighter Command and one day he phoned from London all very secret and said, "I can't tell you where I'm going, but I'm going abroad." Huh, so I said, "Yes, I know you are." Because we'd sent [chuckles] we'd sent papers for the, for the unit. But em, so I suppose I worked, we often said "Oh, I wish we were doing something more," you know, "more glamorous." I suppose really, but I, I mean presumably, as I say, people do need their money don't they? And, and, and eh, you, you know, it was certainly, it was quite, quite a busy office and eh and eh how much [unclear] [pause] Yes, we, we, we had one Squadron Leader who was a regular and he was very kind. He had his family living somewhere near and occasionally he'd say to Pat and I, "My wife's invited you to a meal." Which was very nice and it did mean a lot, I must admit, to, to go to a family again. So that, that was very nice and eh but otherwise, as I say, the, the officers were very nice as bosses but we didn't have much contact really with them after that. Except once we did have, we had a lovely em party, um I think it was, oh I can't, I can't remember, a fancy dress party actually. We, we, we had on the camp a chappie called Carpenter. I remember his name he eh, he, he was entertainments officer and he managed to get all these costumes from one, one of the musicals, so we, you could either be an Austrian boy or an Austrian girl. [chuckles] Part of it and eh we eh, that was a, that was a, really a lovely, that was really a lovely do because, I suppose it was so unexpected, you know, and, and eh as I say, we, we certainly didn't, didn't have many drinks because the NAAFI I don't think, I don't know if they had beer, I suppose they did. But em mainly coffees, but em I know we had a very good time on, on eh, coffee and whatnot. But it was sort of quite memorable, you know. It was really quite good fun and eh and then of course I remember, I do remember once, we, everybody accepted lifts in those days and I remember once waiting at a bus stop and an officer drew up and it wasn't that far to eh to the station, but he said [unclear] I think I was the only one and I got in. And he said, "I've just come back from Belsen." He said, "It, I can't describe it." So he'd been in Belsen the day before. He said it was really, really terrible. So you did get pictures of the war like that, you know, it uh, but other than that we, we were very lucky really. But em, but, but it's a wonderful experience to be, there's so many different types that you'd never meet in the, well maybe more now, but certainly then you wouldn't. It eh, you'd get, as I say, you'd get the Ops girl who were very Ops, if you know what I mean. And I remember one of them, not, not, nobody we really knew, just sort of the rumour went round. Obviously if you were, spent the night you, you had to get a pass, and apparently she hadn't come back. And eh, I suppose she was hauled over the coals, obviously, and she said, "Well, I'm very sorry, but we were dining with the Halifaxes." But that was Lord Halifax, I think he was the Foreign Minister or something. [chuckles] So they were that type if you know what I mean and eh, and, and then they would perhaps get cooks who did a marvellous job. They had to get up about three in the morning I think to light the fires in those days, but we, we were, had to spend a week in their hut at one time, for to do fire drill I think, and eh they, I think they rather resent, you see there was so much more class distinction in that, those days and I think they rather resented us and perhaps we resented them. Anyway, we were in their hut and one girl came in and said, "Oh, what a nice hut." Or something to that effect and they didn't actually [unclear] our huts [chuckles] We were scared stiff. [unclear] So you've got to, you see, you did mix with so many different types that eh. As I say, it doesn't apply so much today but then it, there were divisions really and eh it was, it was so good to meet people from, not only different types, but different countries and, and eh, and of course, that was life you know, regulars generally rather, they, they, they like everything just so, where of course the volunteers were much easier. I must admit the boss I had was a much easier man than the Squadron Leader. But em they were all very, very nice to work for. I can't eh, I, I can't complain at all really. And eh so I was there for three and a half years. I think I was only at the billet for two, if I remember rightly because my, my friend, I think, I was, I think she was married at this time. Her husband, he'd been in Malta, during the, [mumbles] and he caught amoebic dysentery and he was really a very, very sick man and I think they sent him home and because he lived somewhere not too far away, I think she went to be with he and his mother. And fortunately I had a cousin, a well Ken's cousin actually, who lived in Wembley. So after two years I went to em to stay with them and em they, they were quite an interesting family because Ken's cousin was a really good ballet dancer. He worked for the Festival Ballet in the end. He was one of, one of the principals. But he was a trainee, he was a boy when I lived with them. So he would, he was quite an interesting person to be with, so even that last year I suppose it was, was quite interesting. I met a Canadian. I don't know how or why, I can't think. But we used to go to the pub once or twice. Well I've often, I've often wondered and thought, you know, the Dieppe raid, I wonder if he was in that because these were all ships that pass in the night really. And you often wonder, especially now, now I'm old, and can sit here, I often think "I wonder what happened to them?" And we, I knew a Sergeant in, you know, when we were on, in, in the camp and eh they used to say "Oh, I don't know that they, they don't seem to be doing much." But of course, they were training them up for D-Day and you think "I wonder if he ever, if he ever got out of the war," you know, which, possibly didn't, if we, because it was so, so much, you know, it was so awful when it, when it, once it started. But, but as I say, I wouldn't have missed the experience because it's very good to meet all kinds of people isn't it? And to, and to try to understand each other. I think this is the, this is an important thing, really. Because em we, I suppose we lived quite, you know, individual sort of lives at one time. But em, as I say, we often said, "Oh I wish we had a more glamorous job." [background laughter] But eh, perhaps people received their weekly pay, which wasn't very much [chuckles] were perhaps pleased we didn't. Now I can't think of anything else, dear to
GC: Can you remember D-Day?
ID: Sorry?
GC: Can you remember D-Day? What happened. Can you remember what happened on D-Day? Where you were?
ID: Oh. Not really, not really to make it clear. No I can't. But I can only, I can remember all these planes going over. I can remember that. But of course, it wouldn't have actually affected us because anybody that was on the camp, we, we were sort of stationary there, and anybody like the soldiers who, who were training on, they would have gone, I think, before. So, but I, that's the only thing I can remember and I can't remember em [pause] what was the, what was the first one? Em, we got em, [pause] we em. You know when the war over, the war in Europe was over I can't, I think I was still working there then, but I can't, I can't remember anything clearly about that either.
GC: So you can't remember VE day?
ID: Not, only, only as much as, of course, reading it in the paper and eh, as I say, I can, I can still hear these, all these planes going over. So that must have been the beginning of it all. I think I, I think I can remember us looking forward say "Thank God it's started," because we would say, every day, "When's it going to begin?" Because it can't stop until it begins. And so I do remember that, but I don't remember any, anything else, not, not clearly. But I presume we would have just carried on doing our work in the office. And eh I can't think we would have got, we wouldn't have got any spare em any time off or anything like that. And we wouldn't, of course, it was a very secret thing so you wouldn't really know too much about it, you know, even, even in the Command you, they, they liked to keep their secrets obviously. But em, but as I say, it eh, it wasn't a very exciting life really I led in the Services, but em I certainly, well enjoyed it, as much as you can enjoy anything in war time, you know, because you've always got that at the back of your mind. You pick up the paper and one day perhaps a battle ship has gone down or, or there's been fighting and thousands of people have gone, so obviously you, you've got all that and you eh you know, it did affect you. There wasn't so much emotion as there is now. There's an awful lot of emotion these days, isn't there, about everything? There wasn't. Because I think eh if there had been all that emotion, I don't think we could've coped, to be honest. You had to, well, you know, keep, keep calm and carry on sort of thing. Which is always said to us. But of course then you've obviously got people who, friends, we, I mean, I had a friend and her husband was a pilot and we heard that he was killed and eh, as I say, my cousin's husband was killed. You know, all those things were, they, they did affect you very much. But I got just a nice little, little, well it was nice for me, to show how friendship really means something. I, as I tell you, I was billeted with Betty and we, we used to just catch the bus in the morning to go to the camp and there was a little shop there. I suppose it, I don't know whether it sold antiques or, funny little shop it was really. And in the front of this shop, there was this little corkscrew. I think it was possibly Cornish, you know, you get the Cornish pixie, and it was lying there, and of course this shop was always closed and why I took such a fancy to it, I don't know because I hadn't got any bottles to open. But every morning I'd look at it and say, "Oh, I do like that. Oh, oh, it's still there." And one day I said, "Oh Betty, somebody's bought it," so she, so she said, you know, I think a few days after, it was my birthday and when, on my birthday, she said, "Here's a little present for you." And I've still got it. It's a corkscrew with a little pixie. But as I say, why I took such a fancy to it, I can't think. [chuckles] But it, you know, every day I checked it and, of course, I could never get in and buy it, you see, cos it was always closed and so she must have put in a lot of effort, she must have gone one lunchtime to buy it when the shop was open. But I've always thought about that every time I, I see it, I think of Betty. Because we were very, very good friends and then, of course, you drift away eventually, don't you? But em, two or three friends I kept for many years, really, until, you know, until they died actually. But em, but I always think of that little incident, and it meant so much to me. [chuckles] Strange, isn't it? [chuckles] But em other than that I, I'm really, as I say, I didn't have a very exciting time.
GC: Did you go home a lot?
ID: Em quite, quite a bit. Yes, we used to have forty eight hours, I think. We, I suppose, I suppose about once a month, really, possibly. And eh, we lived, I don't know if you know the Crystal Palace area, do you know Buelah Hill? You might not know Buelah Hill. It, it sort of goes em, it goes from, well from Knights Hill it comes up to Buelah Hill. It's a long, long road actually. And we didn't have so much bombing there but, while I was, while I was there one, one night em well we thought the house was coming down it shook. I can't explain how it shook. And we had quite a longish garden, I suppose, to that tree there, you know, and then there was another road, and there was, about there was a house. And I think it was only a five hundred pounder fortunately, but it fell on that house and killed two people. So that's the nearest, nearest I've, well the nearest I've been to a bomb so I, I mean, it's very lucky really isn't it? But, but I remember another occasion. I used to sometimes go, when I worked at County Hall, go to Ken up at Chelsea, he worked at Chelsea in those days, and one evening the siren had obviously gone and the, I couldn't get in the front of the Town Hall because it was closed and I had to go round the back because there was this bomb warning and just as I got to the door I looked up and I could see this face on the roundel on his, on the plane and that's the nearest I've been to a German plane. By the time I'd got in he'd dropped his bombs. Well I mean you know they can travel quite a way. [chuckles] That's the nearest I've been. [chuckles]
GC: I mean, were you aware of what was happening in London with the bombing and like Coventry and Liverpool?
ID: Oh, very much so because, very much in London, because, you see, working at County Hall em what happened in County Hall was when it first, you know, when the war first started, it was all very quiet for a few months, and so they sent everybody to different places em because our nearest one was Tooting. We went to a fire station in Tooting and, of course, that was, that was quite, there was no work to do. It was terribly, terribly boring. But of course you would watch the firemen practicing and things like that. And we must have stayed there for, I can't remember how long, but quite a time. But then everybody said, "Oh, what's the point?, so everybody came back and did their normal job, in the normal places. Well, of course, being in County Hall which is just opposite Saint Thomas's as you know, well of course, it's a hotel now, it's not open. But em consequently, of course, every night, and because Mother and I were the only ones, there wasn't a man in the house, we had to take our, I think a man came with us, but we did have to do fire watching. So we, you know, we did take them two till, two till four or one till three or something. Anyway we had to take it, obviously cos everybody was expected to take their part and that wasn't very pleasant really [unclear] you knew it was shell cases or something falling and of course when, when, where you lived, as you say, all them fires, we could see them from, from where we lived. Well, well, when I say see them, we could see that glow in the sky and and, as I say, we travelled, you see, to London every, every day and eh I, I can, as I say, I can remember passing through Pennington, Brixton which got an awful lot and em and of course eh all round there really it was eh and, and you know, some of the girls would come in who lived in different parts and say "Oh, it's been terrible tonight." I didn't know the girl very well, but she was a lovely girl, I remember that worked in County Hall and one lady in Fern Hill and I remember one night her whole family went. [pause] Anyway this bomb just hit their house. So, as I say, even though some people were, well I consider we were very lucky, but even so, you never knew what was going to happen to you, you know, but em, that's why I'm so sorry for these people now, you know, in that burnt out building, but I do think their milking it a lot, you know. Because, when, when you think of it during the war you might get, I don't, ten incidents like that in a night.
GC: Was it easy to keep in touch with Ken while he was away and you was in Middlesex? Did you write a lot?
ID: Oh, well, well, he'd got, he'd got leave and I think we went away once to somebody, who knew somebody who was in Weymouth or somewhere like that. And em and we had one or two weekends, but it wasn't very easy when once, of course, when once he went abroad. He was there for a fair time I suppose really. I'm sure he was. And of course I got, I, I didn't have a, I suppose I got out of the Services three or four months or perhaps more before he did because you, you know, I don't think it took all that long after the war for, for people like, you know, doing our job particularly and I know Ken had to go to, I think he went somewhere near Bournemouth for a time. They, they just sort of sent you to different places, you know, whereas, whereas, em with us they just, you know, said em "That's it. Thank you very much." But now of course the em it's a museum now, Fighter Command. Yes, as I understand it, Barratts bought it. I don't know how to, I, I did read that there were very expensive houses put on it. And Barratts also used the top of the house, you know, the big house. But I haven't been myself so I don't know. But I do know the big house is used now and they've got it, they've got a plotters' room and I think it's quite interesting em and various things. And of course the Air Officer Commanding's office, you know. While I was there that was Leigh-Mallory. He, he was, he'd been very well known in twelve group. He was a Wing Commander then I think. Then he came to Stanmore and he, he was posted abroad somewhere and he, he bought it, as they used to say, and em and then we had another one called Park, I remember. I remember that. But of course Leigh-Mallory was quite well known, you know, anybody who was more or less [unclear] would know because, as I say, I think he planned a lot of wings, you know, he was very good at that kind of thing. But I'm not sure because obviously we didn't see much of any of those people at all. But em, I know, another interesting thing I suppose is, my other friend, who I worked in the office with, was, had a billet on Stanmore Hill, and that was David em Selznick, [?] you know, the, well you see in the war we were very near the Elstree and all those. So she was there and she, she was so miserable. She would buy herself one thing. Then she said "I've got a little cell-like place . Nobody ever speaks to me." [chuckles] And eh, and so eventually she said "I can't stand this anymore," she said, "I'm going to desert." [chuckles] I remember she got her big case and we said "Oh, we'll come down to the station with you," and of course we were walking through the grounds of the em Fighter Command and of course we felt so, we thought we were doing something so very dreadful and were worried in case somebody would discover us sort of helping Pat to desert. [chuckles] I don't believe anybody, well she, she did get a doctor's certificate. She really, she, some people aren't suited to that kind of life, I think, and to be fair, I mean, Betty and I were together which makes so much difference, doesn't it? And, and of course, in our billet, as I say, the only people that really didn't care for us very much were the two servants. They got called up and we had a, such a lovely lady, who, because the old lady I think had dementia, they got her this lady as a housekeeper and she, she really sort of, well mothered us more or less in a way. And the em she, she had a daughter and a son, who was a pilot and after a while she came one day and she'd lost him. You know, that kind of thing you never forget. I can see her now, you know, it must have been so dreadful for her. But em, so there were those sad, very sad, really bad, you know, awful things happening. But em, but personally, you know, it's like everything, it's the luck of the draw, isn't it, really. And all our family were lucky, in that, that respect apart from my cousin, who lost her husband, but she was the only one I think. But, you know, everybody, I mean, I had another cousin who was in the Merchant Navy and that, that was dreadful. They really did suffer in the Merchant. But he, I don't know, he must have had a charmed time. He was, he really was a funny chap. He, he tickled, he always tickled me, cos he was always seemed to be [unclear] He was going to get married. So his mother said, "Well, you must get yourself a new suit." So he went to Burtons or somebody, you see. So he said, "I want, I want a suit." You know. "Well sir, what can I do?" "I want a suit," he said. Em "Oh yes sir," he said. "I know. We've got a fine Director's suit." [chuckles] So he said, "Why? Doesn't it fit him?" [chuckles] I can always, I can just see him saying it. I don't think he was, he was so harmless, you know, he didn't [chuckles] [unclear] poor man, cos he was actually shaking when he, when he said that. But em, no it, I think now when I'm very old and can't move very much, I do think quite a lot about the war years, really.
GC: Do you remember after the war? Coming back into civilian life?
ID: Yes. That wasn't easy.
GC: No?
ID: No. Not easy because in some ways, it certainly wasn't easy for the men either, because although, unless you'd had a terrible injury or something, em you had a certain freedom I mean, you see, we were married, but when I say freedom, we didn't go mad, but I mean we, if we, if we met somebody as a friend, you know, and went dancing, you, you can't sort of say, "Oh no, you don't want to do that," because you've got to live you life, haven't you, when you're there. But afterwards, of course, em money was very tight for most people. You see, Ken had only been, he'd be only about twenty when, you see, he didn't, although he worked for the Town Hall, he was only on the bottom rung, so there wasn't much climbing up really. And then after, you see, I was twenty seven when I came out, no twenty two, no about twenty six, I suppose. Well then you want to start a family, so we had Sue and of course, you know, with money being tight and having had quite an easy, you didn't have to, you didn't have to think about whether you, where the food came from. It was all, you know, it was easy in some ways and no I don't think it was too easy for people at the beginning until, and of course housing was very difficult. We were lucky to get a little house in Putney, because our friends, he, he was a pacifist actually, but he did work for the Forestry Commission, and after, after the war he got a job teaching in the Sudan, so we bought their little house in Putney and of course, there was a lot to do. It hadn't been, it hadn't been decorated for years and what I did do, was eh, because she'd done it, because Ron had been a university student, she'd taken university people, you know, to help with the money, and so when we, she said, "Well you'll find I've got Lucy who's an Indian. She's got another three months." She was doing her PhD. She said, "Would you consider taking her?" Said, "Oh, yes. Fine." So we had that, that was an experience too. Because she was a lovely woman and we got on so well and she was a Christian Indian, and it was just the end of her, you know, she'd done all her exams. Just waiting to go back to India really. And she met a Hindu, and they, I don't know, they went for six weeks on the Continent. Anyway, when she came back, I don't, I don't know anything what actually happened. She'd got this message once that he'd, he'd, I don't know where he'd gone, or he was married or something. And because, being an Indian, you know how they, they sort of [unclear] you know. I mean she was terrible really, she was terribly upset. But of course Sue was a little girl of about eighteen months. And she thought this was great fun, so, poor old Lucy was going [unclear] and [chuckles] Sue was, Sue was doing the same thing. But I often wonder, well we got on so well, and I, she said, you know, she promised to write. I didn't know her address in India, so I couldn't write to her. And after a while cos her PhD degree came through and somebody phoned and said "We'd like", "Would you please bring her degree to," em, oh it was a long way, London University, which is a long way. Cos I had Sue as a little tiny girl. Well I, I said yes, so I, anyway, got on the bus and these two men. So I, you know, as soon as I, "Ooh, how's Lucy?" Really we had, really got on well. She was a lovely person. She was about forty, she wasn't a young girl. And they hardly answered me and I never heard from Lucy again and I often wonder what happened to her. I mean, it's quite a sad thing really because she, she was so clever, obviously, to get a PhD and I, I don't know. So, so in that res, that was another way of life, it was quite interesting really, but you know, because, then we had a medical student who was at Saint Thomas's and after that we had a girl who was doing Geography and [chuckles] I can well imagine she was a teacher because I can remember once going into her room and she had a go at me, "This is dusty." [chuckles] And, and the houses, because it was [mumbles] Victorian houses, you see, and you had to go in the back, you had to walk through the kitchen and eh, or you could just go round because it was the last one and there was a space between and she had a friend, and I remember, she did, I suppose she knocked on the door and she said em, "Yes, come through. It's quite alright. Come through." [chuckles] So you, it's amazing the difference in people that um, you know, that's interesting really. I wouldn't have missed that really because it was very, very interesting to meet different eh types. And we had two Polish fellows next door, who, who'd, well I'd say, you know, of course, Poland's had a dreadful time, but em, and of course, we were all decorate. This old place and the wallpaper had been on for ages and ages. And of course, we were all young, you see, we were twenty sevenish and so you know they would come in, "Can we help you?" So we'd have, you know, that was really quite fun and I've em I've [unclear] the other day at least. I like these little Victorian houses. They're now selling for eight hundred thousand [chuckles] Of course, it was just round the corner from the, from the river.
ID: They're only, you know, they were very old, well they were Victorian. But, yes, you know, it, everything, everything is an experience isn't it?
GC: Mmm.
ID: [unclear] Mustn't make you. I can make him [unclear] because I find now Ken can't hear very well. Consequently, you know you're watching something, you know, you make a little casual remark which it doesn't really matter if it's answered or not and Ken just maybe, as I get, "Now, what is it now?" [chuckles] And the time, then I repeat some silly thing, "I don't like the look of her hair," or something, but I now have said it four times, but it really doesn't matter. So I really, I know I natter an awful lot.
GC: I was, I was actually going to ask, is there anything else you can remember, from the war, that stands out in your memory?
ID: Well, well, as I say, only that bombing was eh I can remember. I can remember that. I don't think, you see, we weren't evacuated or anything like that. We were, well we were evacuated as I tell you with the em, I'm just trying to think really. Em [pause] of course, I mean, we moved house, my mother moved house . Everything was very, you know, a lot of the things that you treasured. I remember mother had a lovely lot of letters from her father, who used to write to the family every week. And, of course, you'd put those, and then perhaps you moved and they're gone and you don't, you don't eh, you know, you don't see them anymore, those kind of things. But, you see, we weren't bombed out fortunately. And eh, and as I say, travelling wasn't funny at all. It was very difficult and you had to wait a long time, but em, I can't, I know one night we were very worried. Ken went to meet his cousin. His cousin would insist on going to a party and I think that was when the bomb, the eh, the docks were bomb, well not bombed, well they were bombed, but, you know, they had the fire things first didn't they and eh you could see all this red in the sky and obviously she was, I think, she was in Dulwich, which was another place that had a lot of bombing and obviously, you know, we worried about things like that. And, as I say, fire watching wasn't particularly pleasant really you know getting up in the middle of the night and, but I can't say, you know, I, I [unclear] fortunately I never had many real, real experiences in anything.
GC: Well, well, in that case, I am going to say thank you very much.
ID: Well I hope it, you see, I knew, I don't know anything about Bomber Command unfortunately. So and as I say em my em my WAAF days weren't, weren't, were not terribly interesting to anybody else I don't think. You know, not as, because they weren't, weren't too much different from my ordinary life, if you know what I mean. You see, that's the thing but em that's, I think that's all I can remember.
GC: Well, as I said, I will say thank you very much on behalf of the Archive. I'm gonna apologise for the background noise. There is a main road and a fair [?] next door to us. But thank you very much, it's been a pleasure to spend the afternoon.
ID: Oh, that's alright dear. You know, I don't know if you can use it. It seems not that all that interesting to me, but em that's as much, well, as I say, I think I can remember pretty clearly, you know, I think I'm lucky in that respect because some people are, well I think you do remember when you're old don't you. Well they say that you, you know, your long memory is better than your short memory. So I possibly couldn't remember what I said two minutes ago. [chuckles]
Done, Iris
demobilisation; entertainment; ground personnel; military living conditions; Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944); RAF Bentley Priory; RAF Bridgnorth; Women's Auxiliary Air Force
Gemma Clapton, "Interview with Iris Done," IBCC Digital Archive, accessed January 29, 2023, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/10785.


triggers engaging communications and orchestrates targeted marketing initiatives.
One single integrated platform that manages customer database, triggers engaging communications and orchestrates targeted marketing initiatives.
Benefit from a greater marketing return on investment (mROI)!
Hotelappz D-Team is handling setup & configuration when connecting to PMS.
Once plugged in, Hotelappz collect & retrieve historical customer data and bookings.
This connection also enables the continuous update of Hotelappz database.
The property will be able to produce/send custom-built templates with its visual identity, script and content.
When working as Marketing Director at a hotel chain, I wish I could rely on a product such as Hotelappz. I had to wrestle regularly with customer database files: data extraction from PMS, from LaFourchette, from website… Three full-time employees were dedicated to retrieve our customer database and trigger email campaigns. With HotelAppz, 80% of those tasks would be automated and the hotelier could then use his/her customer database at any given time.


text:
Male-Females
Hot babe gets creamed blackxbook free cream
Male-Females, Older Female-Males
Taunos
I've changed the names, obviously. Other than that. I was around nine years old when I found that standing in my bedroom with my pants around my ankles and repeating Linda Reed's (the really pretty blonde girl from Miss Jones' class) name to myself over and over had the curious effect of making my penis grow longer and get hard.
I had just turned ten when I figured out that if I said Linda's name to get my penis hard, and then rubbed its skin up and down, things "down there" started feeling really good.
About five minutes after that, I learned that when saying Linda Reed's name over & over with your pants around your ankles, it's a good idea to have a kleenex box or a washcloth from the bathroom nearby.
And it was about 5 milliseconds after my little sister, Kait, standing in the doorway, said "Eewwww, gross! What are you DOING?!?" that I learned that it's important to lock your bedroom door if you're going to invoke the power of Linda Reed's name like that.
Kait stared at me as I held my dwindling penis in my hand, cum dripping onto the floor in front of my feet. I stood there in my room, caught quite literally with my pants down, with nowhere to go, not sure what to do. I couldn't run, as a.) my pants were tangled down around my ankles, b.) I was dripping all this weird white stuff all over the place, and c.) my sister was standing in the doorway, cutting off any chance of escape.
So I screamed. "Get step mom por naughty america of here, you little jerk!" "What is that?" Kait screamed back at me.
I dropped to the floor, trying to hide my penis, pull up my pants, and wipe up the mess I'd just made, all at the same time and all quite unsuccessfully. "God, just get out of here!" I shrieked, "Leave me alone!" I finally managed to get my pants up, and lunged for the door.
I pushed my sister out into the hallway and slammed the door shut in her face, then fell back against the door, panting. I didn't know what was going on, and I was scared. Kait turned the doorknob and tried pushing the door open, but I dig in beyoute ful gals xxx fuk story pushed back. "Stay out!" I screamed. She pounded on the door for a few seconds, then stopped. I crawled back across the floor to where I'd spurted my cum, and tried to wipe it up with a pair of my socks.
Then I just sat there, scared. Mom & Dad weren't home from work yet, so that was good. But Kait saw what I'd done, so that was bad. I didn't really know what I'd just done, so that was kind of weird.
But it felt really good, whatever it was, so that was good, I guess. As scared as I was, I wanted to try it again. But Kait was still out there, so I really couldn't.that was kind of bad. Sizing up the situation, I decided I had to go deal with Kait first. Had to make sure she didn't say anything about this to Mom & Dad when they got home. I stood up and took a deep breath, then walked over to the door. "Kait!" I called, "Kait, come back here!" I opened the door, and saw Kait sitting in the hallway across from my door, crying.
My "little" sister was only a little less than a year younger than me. Growing up so close gorgeous brunette chanel preston sits on a dudes hard cock age, we were always real close, and spent a lot of time playing together.
We'd only just stopped taking baths together about a year before in fact, and we still did just about everything else together, so I guess when I screamed at her, it really hurt her feelings. She looked up when I opened the door and just looked at me, didn't say anything. "Hey, I'm sorry I yelled at you. But you scared me.
I thought you were down in the basement." "No, I was up here," she said, sniffling. "What were you doing?" "I was, I dunno." I didn't know what to call it. But at least she wasn't threatening to tell Mom & Dad. That was good. "You were playing with your penis. I saw." "Yeah, so why'd you ask if you knew?" "I dunno.
Why'd you do it?" I sighed and turned around, going back into my room. "I don't know. It felt good, I guess." As soon as I'd said it, I felt my penis starting to twitch again, but I hadn't even been thinking about Linda Reed.
That was weird. "Do Mom & Dad know you do that?" There it was. I had to do something. slutty asian legal age teenager fucks hardcore schoolgirl japanese I said, turning back to look Kait right in the eyes. "And they won't find out," I kind of growled, starting to make a fist, "get it?" Kait rolled her eyes at my attempt to threaten her and said, "Okay, I get it." She stood up and walked past me into my room, knocking the "oomph" out of my threat as the bumped me, and went to sit on my bed.
"So are you gonna do it again?" she asked. "I don't know," I answered, starting to get frustrated with her for not leaving me alone. There was that twitching again, my penis was getting hard all on its own. Suddenly the start of an idea came half-way to me. She seemed kind of interested. Maybe if Kait was part of it, she wouldn't be able to tell Mom & Dad.
I decided not to chase her out just yet. "I never did it before, but it felt good, so I dunno, I might," I mumbled as I went back into my room and sat on the other end of my bed. "How'd you do it?" she asked. "I dunno," I said, "I just kinda rubbed it & the stuff came out. I mean, you saw!" "Yeah, but it didn't used to be so big." There was my chance. "It's not all the time, just sometimes." "Really?" she asked.
"Yeah," I said. I waited a minute, then added, "Do you wanna see?" This was it. She'd either say yes, and I could make her a part of this, or she'd run out & I'd be in even more trouble. "You mean see it big?" "It's not big right now, dummy. But I can make it big if you wanna see." More breath-holding. "OK, lemme see." I stood up and unzipped my pants again.
I was really nervous by now, so it had shrunk back down to its normal little fingertip size. I pulled down my pants and showed her.
"OK, so how do you make it big?" she asked. "You gotta promise not to laugh," I said. Kait nodded. "Linda Reed," I began. "Linda Reed, Linda Reed, Linda Reed, Linda Reed." Her mc girne wala cuckold sex started having the intended effect.
My penis started twitching, getting longer and sticking out more. Kait was looking at me kind of strange while I stood there saying Linda's name over and over, but she didn't say anything.
"Linda Reed, Linda Reed, Linda Reed," I continued. Before long, I stood there in front of my sister, proudly showing her my little three-inch hard-on. "Eeww, it's so big," she said. "Why does it do that?" "I dunno," I said, "it just does." "So can you make the stuff come out again?" "I dunno. I can try. If you wanna see." "OK," she said. This was working perfectly. She was going to see the whole thing, and be a part of it, and then she couldn't tell Mom & Dad.
I started rubbing my penis again like I did before.
Kait watched, and after a few minutes I felt things happening down there again like the last time. I looked at Kait and said, "I think it's gonna happen." And sure enough, my penis started twitching again and a little dribble of cum spit out the end. I wiped it up with another sock, then pulled up my pants and sat down on the bed again. "There. I dunno what it is, but now you saw.
Just can't tell Mom & Dad, OK?" "OK," she said. Right about then we heard the garage door open as Mom & Dad came home. I jumped up and told Kait, "Don't say anything, remember!" Then I pushed her out the door and said, "I'll show you more the next time they go out if you want, but now just go in your own room." "OK," she said.
I tossed my wipe-up socks in my hamper and lay down on my bed, wondering what would happen next.
Tags: Girls domination Torture Female Domination Males-Females Male Male-Teen Female Pegging
Vijas
Emylia argan big tits amp...
Zuzshura
Biggest cock makes hot slut...
Grey hair creampieon her stomach
Galabar
Bibi noel gets her tight...
Very old granny cream pie
Hot mature lady jumps on...
Zulkijar
Perky tits teen nailed by...
Nekora
Chaturbate netvideogirls teasing live camgirlcom...
Mishura
Brother and sister sax story...
Samubar
Ice cold water punishment tube...
Doxy groans from passionate fuck...
Vudolkree
Being a successful porn producer...
Daikasa
Bbw giving a deepthroat blowjob...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We are deeply saddened to announce that our Grandmaster Steven Vincent Baugh has recently passed away on March 17, 2019 at age 65. He had many titles such as; Sigung, Sifu, Dashi, Grandmaster, Grandfather and Dad. He is survived by his children Maria, and Raul, as well as his grandchildren Xavier, Scarlett and Violet. His organizations the Lohan School of Shaolin (Kung Fu) and the Lohan Spiritual Center will continue in his name, and will carry on his legacy.
As an example of Dashi's dedication to all people willing to learn, he took a vow to never turn away a student regardless of any inability to provide tuition. He dedicated his life to carry on the traditions and practices of Chinese Lion Dancing, Northern and Southern Shaolin, Chi Kung, Tai Chi and the Dharma. His organizations accepted students from all over the world of all races, religions, creeds and ethnicities.
Starting with only 4 students in the garage of his house, Dashi later expanded his teachings to a school and temple in the Las Vegas Chinatown. The Lohan School of Shaolin has been hired to perform its practices all over the Las Vegas area, including most hotel and casino properties on the world famous Las Vegas Strip.
We ask that all friends, students, and loved ones come together to assist his organizations at this time of need. A memorial was held in his honor on March 23rd in Las Vegas, NV, and there will be another memorial at a time TBD in Long Beach, California. These services are very expensive and the organization cannot assume these expenses alone. We kindly ask that all share this link in order to reach those who might be unaware, and would like to contribute to this campaign to fund these services. We thank all who take the time to donate or share, and all who assist this organization to continue.


Swanton's Bridget Harlett, left, goes for possession of a loose ball in a game at Evergreen this season. Harlett was first team all-district in Division III.
Daisy Giguere of Wauseon races upfield in a game versus Bryan this season. She was second team all-district in Division II.
Local girls frequented the all-district girls soccer list that was recently announced.
In Division III, Andi Peterson made the first team for Archbold. Chloe Nofziger was second team all-district for the Blue Streaks. Madison Gigax and Regan Ramirez were honorable mention.
Bridget Harlett of Swanton was also on the first team. No one made the second team for the Bulldogs, but Morgan Pine, Aricka Lutz and Averie Lutz were honorable mention.
For Evergreen, Asia Gensch and Paige Radel were second team all-district. Emma Bettinger and Sydney Woodring received honorable mention for the Vikings.
Daisy Giguere of Wauseon made second team all-district in Division II. Honorable mention all-district for the Indians were Anna Koenig, Mya Suarez and Kadence Carroll.
Audrey Lerch, sr., Bowling Green; Meg Voigt, jr., Bryan; Reilly Cox, jr., Celina; Jency Jenkins, sr., Elida; Colette Askins, jr., Lake; Chandler Clark, soph., Lima Bath; Sophia Fusillo, jr., Lima Shawnee; Madi Mason, jr., Lima Shawnee; Megan Richardson, sr., Napoleon; Hannah Pierce, jr., Rossford; Emma White, sr., St. Mary's Memorial; Morgan Beyer, sr., Toledo Central Catholic; Emily Ruppert, sr., Wapakoneta.
Player of the Year: Jency Jenkins, Elida.
Tammy Aguilera, jr., Defiance; Cienna Kuhn, sr., Elida; Emelie Engelien, sr., Maumee; Chayah Keller, jr., Maumee; Teri Miller, jr., Lake; Ainsley Miller, jr., Lima Bath; Tessa Jordan, jr., Lima Shawnee; Grace Hopkins, soph., Napoleon; Emma Wibbeler, jr., St. Mary's Memorial; Alivia Oney, sr., Upper Sandusky; Tori Carter, sr., Wapakoneta; Abbigail Ruppert, sr., Wapakoneta; Daisy Giguere, jr., Wauseon.
Ally Richardson, Allen East; Andi Peterson, sr., Archbold; Alex Hoeffel, jr., Continental; Zoe Chisolm, soph., Cory Rawson; Maddie McConnahea, sr., Delphos Jefferson; Hannah Owens, sr., Eastwood; Kenna Souder, fr., Eastwood; Marissa Young, sr., Genoa; Lauren Langhals, sr., Kalida; Savanah Richards, sr., Liberty-Benton; Sophie Aschemeier, soph., Liberty-Benton; Alexis Rickenbacher, soph., Liberty-Benton; Samantha Engler, soph., Liberty Center; Avery Rice, sr., Lima Central Catholic; Natalie Koenig, soph., Miller City; Bella Iorio, sr., Ottawa Hills; Casey Knippen, sr., Ottoville; Bridget Harlett, sr., Swanton.
Player of the Year: Kenna Souder, Eastwood.
Chloe Nofziger, jr., Archbold; Kayla White, jr., Bluffton; Amber Daly, jr., Cardinal Stritch; Grace Bruns, sr., Coldwater; Asia Gensch, jr., Evergreen; Paige Radel, fr., Evergreen; Tatum Neumann, jr., Genoa; Bailey White, jr., Kalida; Jillian Hoffman, soph., Liberty Center; Annika Wilker, fr., Lima Central Catholic; Rylee Hazlett, sr., Northwood; Erin Kaufman, sr., Ottawa-Glandorf; Meredith Greeley, fr., Ottawa Hills; Alex Rothlisberger, sr., Riverdale; Kelsey Shaffer, jr., Spencerville; Alyssa Wagenknecht, jr., Toledo Christian; Hannah Missler, jr., Van Buren; Claire Rothert, jr., Woodmore.


text:
<?php

namespace Havenden\Admin;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Config

/**
 * Class Menu.
 *
 * @property int $id
 *
 * @method where($parent_id, $id)
 */
class Menu extends Model
{
    /**
     * The database table used by the model.
     *
     * @var string
     */
    protected $table;

    /**
     * @var array
     */
    protected static $branchOrder = [];
    /**
     * The attributes that are mass assignable.
     *
     * @var array
     */
    protected $fillable = ['parent_id', 'order', 'title', 'icon', 'uri'];

    /**
     * Creates a new instance of the model.
     *
     * @param array $attributes
     */
    public function __construct(array $attributes = [])
    {
        parent::__construct($attributes);
        $this->table = Config::get('admin.database.menu_table');
    }
    /**
     * Many-to-Many relations with the role model.
     *
     * @return \Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Relations\BelongsToMany
     */
    public function roles(){
        return $this->belongsToMany(Config::get('admin.database.roles_model'), Config::get('admin.database.role_menu_table'), Config::get('admin.database.menu_foreign_key'), Config::get('admin.database.role_foreign_key'));
    }
    /**
     * Format data to tree like array.
     *
     * @param array $elements
     * @param int   $parentId
     *
     * @return array
     */
    public static function toTree(array $elements = [], $parentId = 0)
    {
        $branch = [];

        if (empty($elements)) {
            $elements = static::orderByRaw('`order` = 0,`order`')->get()->toArray();
        }

        foreach ($elements as $element) {
            if ($element['parent_id'] == $parentId) {
                $children = static::toTree($elements, $element['id']);

                if ($children) {
                    $element['children'] = $children;
                }

                $branch[] = $element;
            }
        }

        return $branch;
    }

    /**
     * Set the order of branches in the tree.
     *
     * @param array $order
     *
     * @return void
     */
    protected static function setBranchOrder(array $order)
    {
        static::$branchOrder = array_flip(array_flatten($order));

        static::$branchOrder = array_map(function ($item) {
            return ++$item;
        }, static::$branchOrder);
    }

    /**
     * Save a tree from a tree like array.
     *
     * @param array $tree
     * @param int   $parentId
     */
    public static function saveTree($tree = [], $parentId = 0)
    {
        if (empty(static::$branchOrder)) {
            static::setBranchOrder($tree);
        }

        foreach ($tree as $branch) {
            $node = static::find($branch['id']);

            $node->parent_id = $parentId;
            $node->order = static::$branchOrder[$branch['id']];
            $node->save();

            if (isset($branch['children'])) {
                static::saveTree($branch['children'], $branch['id']);
            }
        }
    }

    /**
     * Build options of select field in form.
     *
     * @param array  $elements
     * @param int    $parentId
     * @param string $prefix
     *
     * @return array
     */
    public static function buildSelectOptions(array $elements = [], $parentId = 0, $prefix = '')
    {
        $prefix = $prefix ?: str_repeat(' ', 6);

        $options = [];

        if (empty($elements)) {
            $elements = static::orderByRaw('`order` = 0,`order`')->get(['id', 'parent_id', 'title'])->toArray();
        }

        foreach ($elements as $element) {
            $element['title'] = $prefix.' '.$element['title'];
            if ($element['parent_id'] == $parentId) {
                $children = static::buildSelectOptions($elements, $element['id'], $prefix.$prefix);

                $options[$element['id']] = $element['title'];

                if ($children) {
                    $options += $children;
                }
            }
        }

        return $options;
    }

    /**
     * Delete current item and its children.
     *
     * @throws \Exception
     *
     * @return bool|null
     */
    public function delete()
    {
        $this->where('parent_id', $this->id)->delete();

        return parent::delete();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


In 1946, the Taller de Grafica Popular (People's Graphic Workshop) in Mexico City published a portfolio titled Mexican People that consisted of twelve lithographic prints by ten different artists depicting scenes of Mexican working life. The purpose of the portfolio was to help Americans better understand the peoples and cultures of Mexico as both countries struggled to readjust to new global economic conditions after World War II.
The Kruizenga Art Museum purchased an intact copy of the Mexican People portfolio in January, 2016. It has since become one of the most heavily used artworks in the museum's teaching program as every year it is shown to multiple Spanish language, history, and interdisciplinary studies classes.
The Taller de Grafica Popular, or TGP, was a printmaking collective that was founded in 1937 to promote the goals of the Mexican Revolution and other left-wing causes. During its heyday from the late 1930s to the late 1950s, the TGP produced thousands of low-cost prints and posters aimed at supporting workers' rights, combatting corruption and violence, and promoting national and international unity.
Publication of the Mexican People portfolio coincided with the 100th anniversary of the start of the Mexican-American War, which lasted from 1846 to 1848 and resulted in the United States claiming a large portion of Mexico's northern territory. It also coincided with a renewed conversation about immigration that occurred as American politicians debated what to do about the Bracero program, which brought hundreds of thousands of Mexican workers to the United States to fill vital farm and factory jobs during World War II. Although Bracero workers were supposed to come into the US on fixed-term labor contracts, some wanted the ability to extend their contracts while others wanted to stay in the US permanently. Many American farmers supported extending the Bracero program as they had become highly reliant on Mexican labor to maintain their agricultural output. In the end, the Bracero program was extended until 1964 and provided a legal channel for more than five million Mexicans to work in the US on a seasonal or full-time basis during those years.
The Mexican People portfolio presents a positive image of Mexicans as being hardworking and industrious. It includes captions in both Spanish and English that explain the subjects of each print and shows on a map of Mexico where the different scenes are located. The portfolio was distributed in the United States through Associated American Artists, a New York-based gallery that was dedicated to providing original works of art at affordable prices to middle-class consumers. Approximately 250 copies of the portfolio were issued in the United States. Some of the portfolios were broken up and the prints were sold off individually; other copies of the portfolio were kept intact.
The complete portfolio is on view in the Kruizenga Museum through January 26. Admission is always free and everyone is welcome. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm.
Mexico is home to some of the richest silver deposits in the world. After the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 16th century, huge quantities of Mexican silver were shipped overseas to fuel the economies of Europe and Asia. Historically most Mexican silver was mined by hand. Miners often worked in low tunnels with poor ventilation and drainage and accidental deaths were common. The exploitation of Mexican mines and miners continued well into the 20th century, as we see in this Francisco Mora print depicting a miner working in the state of Hidalgo north of Mexico City.
Lime is a calcium-rich mineral that was traditionally produced by burning limestone or chalk in large kilns. It is a vital ingredient in cement and concrete around the world. In Mexico it is also often used to whitewash adobe houses and to prepare maize for cooking. Making lime can be dangerous. The smoke from the kilns contains particles that can damage the lungs, while the intense light of the kiln fire can damage the eyes. Raul Anguiano captures the hot, back-breaking nature of lime production in this image of a lime factory near the town of Tula de Allende in central Mexico.
The Lacandon Jungle in the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico is a lush tropical rainforest filled with a bountiful variety of trees, plants and animals. Because it was remote and difficult to access, the Lacandon Jungle remained relatively intact until the late 19th century. Since then, however, large sections of the rainforest have been cut down to make way for mining operations, coffee and rubber plantations as well as agricultural farms and ranches. Today only ten percent of the original forest remains untouched. This print depicts sawyers in the Gulf Coast port of Ciudad del Carmen cutting tropical hardwood logs from Chiapas into standard lengths so that they can be shipped off to market in the United States and Europe.


Marriage is one of the major events in life. People, especially women, imagine something grandiose and glamorous about their wedding like they've seen it in TV or movies. Located in Gangnam District, Seoul, Bella Vita is one of the wedding halls that makes your dream come true.
Bella Vita means beautiful people in Italian. It shares the first floor and the basement halls and a 400 seat dinning are of a building. A live music livens up the mood while the bride steps down the heavenly stairs to reach the standing spot through the guest-filled corridors. The interior of the wedding hall is inviting with not too dark or bright but just right amount of light. The wedding hall is directly connected to the banquet hall and the Korean wedding room which makes the movement of the guests easier.
The food is seasonally prepared and has earned high scores from the guests who have used the place. The wedding hall is 5 minute apart from the subway and the outdoor lobby is conveniently organized for the guests. Many parking spaces around the building also play advantageous.
CEO Choi who owns Bella Vita and Leo Park World has 20 years of experience in construction industry. The differentiated management and services of Bella Vita came from this of his knowledge and experience. To celebrate the recent renewal of the wedding halls, Bella Vita is offering unprecedented discount on wedding hall, make up, live music and banquet. Also it supports part of honeymoon cost.
In recognition of the contribution to the industry, Bella Vita received the 2018 Korea Culture Management Awards.


A few members in good standing typically annoy me more than the trolls do. As some others have stated, I rarely read posts from trolls. I am fine with you cracking down on them. I am fine with you not expending the effort. Thanks for asking.


The gums play a vital role in keeping your mouth healthy. When compromised by dental disease, patients can find themselves facing oral discomfort and vulnerable to a wealth of potential oral issues.
The gums play a vital role in keeping your mouth healthy. When compromised by dental disease, patients can find themselves facing oral discomfort and vulnerable to a wealth of potential oral issues. When it comes to oral health, prevention is always their correction. Most of the oral problems can be prevented with daily routines of brushing, flossing, and eating healthy foods.
But, when you do not practice good oral hygiene, dental issues can spiral out of control and create a wide range of problems in your mouth. Many of those can be reversed, but periodontal disease can lead to several oral complications such as infection, periodontal pockets, and gums recessed so deeply require surgery to remove.
You don't have to mess around with those problems. Protect yourself by getting to know the following early warning signs of periodontal disease. If you notice or experience any one of these symptoms, visit your dentist Parramatta immediately.
Even though bad breath is caused due to several reasons, if you have bad breath that won't go away even after practising good oral habits, then it is a warning sign of having gum disease.
Gums should not bleed when you brush or floss. If you do not floss regularly, bacteria build up below the gums may cause bleeding each time you brush. If the problem persists, the bleeding worsens. If your gums are bleeding, visit nearby Parramatta dental clinic right away.
Red gums, swelling, and sore gums are the early warning signs that you may have gum disease. In fact, inflamed gums indicate that you have an unhealthy mouth. Fluffy gums can be resolved by simply improving your brushing technique.
When gum disease is left untreated, gum tissue recedes and allows small pockets to form. It is called periodontal pockets, which acts as reservoirs for bacteria. The bacteria can eat away your gums and the underlying gum tissue that creates risks of infection and tissue loss. If it is not treated, periodontal pockets may require gum surgery to correct.
When your gums get weak, it also compromises the integrity of your teeth. If your teeth feel lose or if they are outright falling out, you have got serious gum disease that needs immediate attention.
Prevention is the key to maintain your oral health. Visit your Parramatta dentist once in six months for a professional cleaning and to keep away the dental disease.
The author is an experienced dentist in Parramatta and a blogger who offers a wide range of dental treatments which are mainly intended to advance the oral health of patients. Visit https://www.curedental.com.au/ for details.


School – is important part of our life. We spend a lot of time there, while we are children. We don't only study there, but sometimes we live there. It is our second and big family. It is not a secret that every student sooner or later gets tired of visiting school and doing homework. Every student looks forward the vacation time. And today we are going to talk about the main features and differences of the school year in different countries.
Our essay custom writing service decided to publish the most interesting and useful facts about the duration of the academic year. You need not to look through a lot of websites to find something worthwhile on this topic, you just need to read our essay. You can also order any writing work you need. You should only choose one of our services. Visit our website and look through the introduction information and contact to our managers, which are always ready to answer your questions. We are looking forward to see you among out happy customers.
The duration of the school year is very different from country to country - in some states it can be up to 75 days longer than in others. So, let us check the length of the education year in some popular countries. And then you will come to conclusion if are you lucky you with the educational process in your country or not.
The academic year in China, for example, is one of the longest in the world - 260 days. Nowadays the education in this country is free, universal and compulsory. At one school can study about 3-4 thousand pupils. At the same time in the same class can be 60-70 or even 90 students. Thus, education in China - it is an interesting and non-standard process. The school year has two parts – from the September 1st and Marth 1st. Children start their education at 6 year and it is compulsory to study nine years. A typical day of the Chinese student starts at 7:30 and lasts until 16:30, and the result is 9 hours. They have a lot of lessons. The difficult subjects are in the morning, and the more easy part – in the afternoon. Such stringent conditions are backed by at least a rigid discipline: 12 lessons missed without real cause, lead to expulsion. The country has a system of unified state exam, the results of which is very important if you want to get higher education.
The academic year in Japan incudes 3 trimesters and starts on 6 April. The first trimester is until July 20, followed by long summer vacation, September 1 begins the next trimester, the winter holidays are from 26 December, and the last third trimester lasts from 7 January to 25 March. Then there is little spring vacations, during which there is a transition from class to class. The exact dates of the beginning and finishing trimesters are different in different schools.
Start of the school year in April due to the fact that at this time in Japan, spring comes into full force and begins to blossom Sakura. Japan students visit school for 260 days.
In Korea students visit school only 220 days per year. The school year usually has only 2 semesters. Summer vacations take place in the period from late July to late August, while the winter - from late December to early February. The compulsory education is six years of primary school and three years of secondary school.
Education in Israel plays an important role in the life and culture of the country. Schools are divided into four types: state, state-religious, religious (Haredi) and Arabic. The education system consists of three levels: primary education (grades 1-6, about 6-12 years), middle school (grades 7-9, about 12-15 years old) and high school (grades 10-12, about 15-18 years). It is compulsory education from the senior group of kindergarten (5 years old) through 12th grade.
The school year in Israel begins on 1 September and ends at the elementary school on June 30 and in middle school and high school on 20 June. Secondary education prepares students to pass the GSE (bagrut).
In each of the 16 federal German states set their own rules as to the beginning of the school year. Usually, the children begin their studies in August and September. Secondary education system in Germany is different from other countries. Its total duration is 13 years. The kids go to the first class in the age of six, and in 10-12 years, moving to high school, where they study up to 16 years. But the secondary education is not finished. Children go for training in high profile school, after which students can enter universities. Summer holidays last six weeks and during the year the students have a rest on Christmas, winter holidays, Easter and Pentecost (in the 20 days of June).
In the US there is no also exact date of the beginning of the school year. It can begin at any day of August or in early September. It depends from each state. The end of academic year is in late June. Children go to school at different ages - in 5-8 years in accordance with the Education Act of the State where they live. Education in elementary school usually lasts 6 years (up to 11) in the middle - 2 years (up to 14), the high school – 3 years. The academic year is divided into three terms, between which students have small vacation, and summer holidays start at the end of June.
In Spain, the first day of school is another date in the different provinces of the country. In general, according to the law, all students must begin their studies not later than 1 October. "Confusion" is associated with the harvest, which can be completed at different times. The academic year like in Japan consists of 3 trimesters and ends in mid-June. Pupils have a rest during the summer holidays, for 2 weeks at Christmas and one week after Easter.
So, we discussed the length of school year in different countries. Now you can draw conclusions do you like your education system or not. And when you are tired from school, remember that there some countries where children have longer school year and school day. Let's be grateful for everything. Remember that in our academic writing services you can order any kind of essay.


There was more drama at the 22nd annual PartyPoker Mosconi Cup at the Tropicana as the Europeans increased their lead as they won the session 3-2 to move their overall lead to 6-4 with two more days to play. It could have been so much worse for the USA but they won a thrilling hill hill final match when a defeat would have left them three points adrift and the Europeans needing just four more wins to retain the trophy.
The venue was once again packed to the rafters and the US duo of Skyler Woodward and Justin Bergman got off to the perfect start with 5-3 over Holland's Niels Feijen and Nick van den Berg. Coming into the session at 2-3 down, it was essential to start out with a win.
"I had a lot of confidence in us because we have played probably five big money matches together as doubles and we haven't lost yet," said Justin Bergman.
That parity didn't last long though as Albin Ouschan, making his Mosconi Cup singles got the better of Mike Dechaine. It got to 3-3 but the Austrian edged it in what was a scrappy encounter. Dechaine had a great chance to go 4-4 but missed the 8 ball up the rail and although it left between the 9 ball between the white and the 8 ball, Ouschan jumped perfectly to pot the 8 ball and seal the match.
The lead became two in the next as Karl Boyes and Darren Appleton won another gritty match, beating Shane Van Boening and an out-of-sorts Corey Deuel. The English pair led 3-0 and it was a lead the Americans could not recover.
With the score 5-3 in the European's favour it fell to young Skyler Woodward to stop the rot but he was taken down by Karl Boyes in an entertaining match up that saw the match referee Ken Shuman mired in controversy.
Initially he called for a re-lag and then later in the match called a foul on Karl Boyes for measuring with the cue ball. Boyes insisted he was just trying place the cue ball in the narrow space available between the 2 and 3 balls. Shuman reversed his initial decision but the match then seemed to take an eternity to resume as the referee explained his decision to both captains, before Boyes seemed reluctant to continue. The crowd became increasingly impatient before things eventually resumed.
Both players weren't at their best but the pressure was immense and in the end it was Boyes who had enough to secure the point.
Commented Boyes, "We lost the first point of the day and then Albin won, which was a very good win for him because it is his first time playing singles, which is when you really feel the heat. His win was good for Darren and I as we went on and there was a little bit of pressure taken of us, and when we got the win it took a little bit of pressure off me going out against Skyler.
"The singles game was crazy. It was hostile in there, the atmosphere was brutal but I managed to get the win.
"Ken has made a decision where I am trying to put the cue ball between the balls so that I can pocket the two in the only pocket it goes in, it was obvious what I was trying to do. But when he said foul I thought I must have touched a ball.
The last match was a must-win for the USA and so it proved as Shane Van Boening and Mike Dechaine won a thrilling hill-hill match against Darren Appleton and Nick van den Berg. It was nip and tuck all the way and Europe reached the hill first at 4-3. Some great shot making from Dechaine ensured the match went to a decider.
Europe broke off and despite getting a ball down, they elected to push out. After some discussion, the Americans gave it back to them. The side of the two ball was visible and van den Berg moved it slightly and sent the cue ball up table.
There was a difficult 2/9 carom on show and Van Boening delivered an explosive shot which clipped the 2 ball and crashed in the 9 as it flew into the corner pocket. It sparked scenes of bedlam as the Americans reduced arrears and ended the day on a high.
"Me and Mike discussed the shot and I figured that we needed to go for it because the rolls weren't going our way in the match so we figured we should take a fire shot at it, and it came out great," said Shane.
American skipper Mark Wilson summed up the day from the USA's perspective; "Magnificent end to the day. Shane hadn't had much good fortune so far so to make one big shot like that and give us that burst of momentum and maybe surge us forward is huge.
"When you go down 7-3 spirits go down but when you make a shot down that it is almost like we are back to even. We have not played our best pool so far throughout.
"We know how we will line-up tomorrow, we had a plan from day one based on what we think will give us the best chance to win.
"To the European's credit, they have played tremendous pool. They have had very few unforced errors and we have made more than they have. Maybe on the tactical exchanges we might have come out a little bit ahead but on the couple of times they have missed a ball we didn't really get the opportunity we needed.
thecueview would like to thank Luke Riches of Matchroom Sport for writing, and providing us with this article from the 9th December 2015.


Amazing Grace stone mural, Pinelawn Memorial Park, Farmingdale, LI, NY. The lettering is sandblasted into the stone and tinted.
An aerial photo from a Pinelawn brochure, probably from the 1970s. On the lower right is the beginning of the first garden Mausoleum complex.
Skylight at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.
Interior of a mausoleum with decorative railing at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York, possibly early 1980's.
Construction photo of a decorative railing in a mausoleum at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York, possibly late 1970's.
Our Calligraphic Heritage: The Geyer Studio Writing Book: Text, Charts and Compositions. New York: Geyer Studio, Inc., 1979. The seventeenth composition: Contemporary Italics.
Our Calligraphic Heritage: The Geyer Studio Writing Book: Text, Charts and Compositions. New York: Geyer Studio, Inc., 1979. The seventeenth chart: Contemporary Italics.
Our Calligraphic Heritage: The Geyer Studio Writing Book: Text, Charts and Compositions. New York: Geyer Studio, Inc., 1979. The sixteenth composition: Contemporary Roman.
Our Calligraphic Heritage: The Geyer Studio Writing Book: Text, Charts and Compositions. New York: Geyer Studio, Inc., 1979. The sixteenth chart: Contemporary Roman.
Our Calligraphic Heritage: The Geyer Studio Writing Book: Text, Charts and Compositions. New York: Geyer Studio, Inc., 1979. The fifteenth composition: Eighteenth Century Script.
Our Calligraphic Heritage: The Geyer Studio Writing Book: Text, Charts and Compositions. New York: Geyer Studio, Inc., 1979. The fifteenth chart: Eighteenth Century Script.
Our Calligraphic Heritage: The Geyer Studio Writing Book: Text, Charts and Compositions. New York: Geyer Studio, Inc., 1979. The fourteenth composition: Seventeenth Century Script.
Our Calligraphic Heritage: The Geyer Studio Writing Book: Text, Charts and Compositions. New York: Geyer Studio, Inc., 1979. The fourteenth chart: Seventeenth Century Script.
Our Calligraphic Heritage: The Geyer Studio Writing Book: Text, Charts and Compositions. New York: Geyer Studio, Inc., 1979. The thirteenth composition: Fraktur Derivations.
Our Calligraphic Heritage: The Geyer Studio Writing Book: Text, Charts and Compositions. New York: Geyer Studio, Inc., 1979. The thirteenth chart: Fraktur Derivations.
Our Calligraphic Heritage: The Geyer Studio Writing Book: Text, Charts and Compositions. New York: Geyer Studio, Inc., 1979. The twelfth composition: Chancery.
Our Calligraphic Heritage: The Geyer Studio Writing Book: Text, Charts and Compositions. New York: Geyer Studio, Inc., 1979. The twelfth chart: Chancery.


text:
COVID-19 has changed clinical trials forever.
So far, the virus has over 90 million confirmed cases which have been a huge test for healthcare services globally. With fewer resources available and the safety of patients at risk, CROs and their sponsors have been forced to adapt to ensure that clinical trials can keep running.
This has triggered a boom in decentralised trials.
Decentralised trials allow their patients to participate without visiting a clinical site. Patients are recruited via digital advertisements, contacted through telemedicine and monitored remotely using wearable devices.
Many patients were calling out for more decentralised trials before the global pandemic. This was because of how easy, comfortable and safe they are to participate in. However, in the past, increased adoption of the trials was prevented by resistance from numerous pharmaceutical companies and some CROs that simply did not want to 'reinvent the wheel'.
Nevertheless, COVID-19 has changed everything. Now many clinical trials have become decentralised to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
With the touch points between the caregiver, provider and the patient reduced in a decentralised trial; the chances of anyone contracting or spreading COVID-19 is minimised. These trials also take-up fewer healthcare resources, allowing them to be redirected to other area of healthcare that are in need.
To find out how decentralised trials are being run throughout the global pandemic and the lasting impact this will have on the clinical trials space, I spoke to two industry leaders:
Jimmy El Hokayem, PhD - Head of Neurology and Regenerative Medicine at the Center of Excellence for Biorasi
Charles Herman, MD, MBA - Venture Partner at Digitalis Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in solutions to complex problems in human and animal health, and Chief Medical Officer at Somatix, which is the creator of a wearable technology that's supporting decentralised trials called SafeBeing
How Can You Run Successful Trials in a Global Pandemic?
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Dr El Hokayem has overseen many decentralised trials at Biorasi and achieved a 95% continuance of all clinical trials with no interruption since the COVID-19 outbreak.
Jimmy El Hokayem, PhD
He credits this success to Biorasi's early adoption of decentralised trials, which dates back to well before the outbreak of COVID-19 and has provided the US CRO with a strong understanding of the processes involved.
When COVID-19 came around, we'd already perfected this way of working and fully understood the decentralised trial processes. We just had to implement it. This head start really gave us an edge.
Before we go into detail about Biorasi's success, it's important to explain that decentralised trials often don't look alike. You should think of this term as more of a spectrum - starting with minimal use through to a fully virtual trial.
And why's that? It's because you have different indications, protocols, complexities, requirements for patients, requirements for sites and so on. Different trials will also have varying end points, primary objectives and secondary objectives. All these factors determine how much can you decentralise a trial.
Biorasi has employed countless strategies to provide successful trials for its sponsors and partners throughout the pandemic. For example, some trials still required sites. To maximise safety, that meant site selection, initiation and close out visits would have to go virtual.
Dr El Hokayem explained that Biorasi overcame this obstacle using smartphones and video recording glasses to conduct a video call. First off, CRAs would be trained to conduct the video call and understand its requirements. Then the research coordinator would wear the glasses and would walk through the site to show the CRA everything. Using that same blast, the clinician in the clinic would be interviewed virtually, as well as the CRA after the visit report was complete.
This was immensely important for us to continue running those trials successfully. However, not all of the trials required this level of virtual support.
For any decentralised trial to be successful, it's also important to ensure that continuous monitoring of patients is carried out effectively. Due to the safety concerns of COVID-19, the challenge was and still is to do this will as few site staff as possible or completely remotely.
When sites are functional and still seeing patients, reducing patient-staff interaction is crucial. With more technologically advanced sites, Dr El Hokayem explained that they were able to get a data dump from the patients' electronic medical records (EMR) or electronic health records (EHR) to the electronic data capture (EDC). For other sites, a secure portal would be created for the research coordinator to scan and upload the care records service (CRS) to. Patients could then be monitored remotely.
When the site itself was functional but not able to have contact with the patients, a different strategy would be employed. Wearables and remote patient monitoring devices were worn by patients at home and then the data would be sent to the site remotely.
While this sounds complex, Dr El Hokayem claimed that it was even more challenging when both the site and the patients were in lockdown. Working mainly in the US, Biorasi mainly experienced this in areas such as New York and California. However, this issue has been a prominent issue for CROs throughout Europe.
Biorasi overcame this challenge by going fully virtual, recruiting patients via digital advertisement like social media, contacting them through telemedicine technologies and using remote monitoring devices.
Why Wearables are Crucial
For all these types of decentralised trial, wearables and remote monitoring devices are crucial in providing a holistic picture of a patient's clinical status.
Somatix is a specialist in this and its latest innovation is a device called SafeBeing. This is an AI-powered remote patient monitoring platform for healthcare providers that uses wearable-enabled gesture detection to yield clinical insights and improve patient outcomes.
Like the many other wearables used in decentralised trials, SafeBeing improves patient safety. With COVID-19, it has helped reduce the touch points between caregivers, providers and the patients. However, this is not the only way it improves safety. For example, this device and other wearables are much better at detecting diseases earlier than the traditional monitoring and reporting methods used in non-decentralised trials.
Charles Herman, MD, MBA
Charles told me that this has been especially effective for a use case study with elderly patients that the Somatix had been involved with.
We were able to detect disease earlier and keep patients out of the hospital. This reduced hospital readmission rates into elder care facilities by approximately 17%. We reduced falls because we can predict who might fall and when they're going to fall. We reduced risk of urinary tract infection because we can pick up on things such as trips to the bathroom, urinary frequency, night-time awakening and dehydration.
All these insights aren't really obtainable purely through interviews or self-reported data.
Charles also spoke about how wearables engage community workers, population health managers, home healthcare workers and so on; by keeping them informed about their patients.
These people play a much more central role in a decentralized clinical trial strategy, compared to a centralised trial. We're empowering them by giving them new tools to monitor patients and giving them new insights into patients to keep them safer.
Some wearables can also provide much more accurate and objective data for trials by monitoring patient compliance. This is achieved with Somatix's gesture detection technology in SafeBeing.
If we know when someone was supposed to take a pill, by measuring the gesture of the pill taking and correlating that with the self-reported data we can potentially provide new insights into compliance. This is something that the clinical investigator didn't have before.
While this monitoring is important for data, it's also ensuring that more patients are willing to take part (which is an issue CM Life Science has previously spoken about in this article by Matthew Barrows).
When you run into issues with compliance in trials, it's often because you've asked the patient to do a lot. So, now a lot of these tools like wearables are almost completely passive in data collection. This allows for stronger data collection and more objective data to work with.
Are Decentralised Trials the Future?
The decentralised model makes clinical trials safer and easier for patients – even outside of a global pandemic - while providing more quality data. COVID-19 has forced the entire space to realise that. While even advocates like Jimmy and Charles recognise that the model is not yet perfect, they and I believe that we have seen enough to know that it is the smarter way of working in the future.
CROs, their sponsors and patients are embracing it – with even the most elderly of patients accepting and becoming comfortable with the technology these trials use.
Do you think decentralised trials are the future? I'd love to know what you think, please email me at Elisabeth.Edmonds@lifesci-cm.com.
You can see more of my content on my consultant page.
Joe Bakali By Joe Bakali
"Always be Visible and Always be Available"
In this episode of CM Conversations, our guest share his tips on hitting the ground running and building a team remotely, as well as the importance of investing in relationships. In his words, you should always be visible and available.


A move to Australia in 2002 and she set out to help more people transform their dogs behaviour and since 2006 has being working professionally as a Dog Listener. We are thrilled to have Sacha join the Pure Dog Listening Team flying the flag down under.
Sacha is in close contact with the Team in the UK as we strive to make the world a better place for our canine companions. Than goodness for Skype.
Sacha Stocks The Ultimate Happy At Heel Harness Designed by Caroline Spencer and "Why Does My Dog Do That?" Written by Caroline.
Sacha our very own Pure Dog Listener in the southern hemisphere is a natural animal and Human communicator. Her experience from childhood animals to vet nursing in earlier years and now children and dogs of her own. Sacha is very sought after with her Canine Behaviour skills and understanding in the Brisbane area of Australia. So whether you need help with puppies or older dogs then do get in touch.


b. Rested Tea is a blend of all Natural Herbs formulated specifically to help promote a good night's sleep and to soothe tension.
* Widely known for its calming effects and its ability to treat sleeping disorders.
* Has been researched to have tranquilizing and anxiety reducing properties.
*Has been used to relax and sooth the nerves.
*Has been used for nervous agitationand sleeping problems.
*Well known remedy as a general health tonic.
All of the above mentioned herbs have additional healing qualities besides the ones mentioned.
A good night sleep is the secret to a great day. Wind down with this relaxing blend of calming valerian and linden flower.
Place one tea bag in an 8 oz. cup and fill with boiling water. Allow to steep five to ten minutes, remove tea bag - inhale, sip, relax. Enjoy!
sparkling glacial water and fresh clear air.