Military chiefs reviewed plan to invade Rhodesia

Public record: State papers released from 1965 highlight dilemma facing fledgling Wilson government over thorny issue of UDI

This article appeared or, more precisely, is still ‘up’ there on the British Independent newspaper’s website, was written on Monday, 1 January 1996 by John Crossland. That is some time ago. I recall reading something similar years ago and I think Peter Godwin mentions the scenario in his excellent Rhodesians Never Die.

So why is it up there again? From what I can gather it has something to do with the way the newspaper interacts with Facebook, because as you can see by the screenshot, it has the name Robert Fowler next to the headline. I grew up with Robert. We were in the Boy Scouts together and we also went to the same Mount Pleasant High School.

I speak via Skype to Rob on a rather regular basis when he is in Victoria Falls. He is rather unhinged from smoking plenty bush dagga and believes in spirits and that the world’s woes are the fault of the Illuminati. Otherwise he is rather harmless, but does have a rather lot of ‘friends’ who seem a mixture of ‘Ahh - Bless the poor sod.’, to ‘Aah - the Baas of the sad poor.’.

I can only presume that it due to all his ‘friends’ clicking ‘like’ that the Independent put it up there. If he can do that, so can I. I must make a plan…

Meanwhile, all though there isn’t anything up there yet, (I am busy doing a website and have to go over the book again), please click ‘like’ here - Last of the Rhodesians