With apologies to Ted and others abroad there is another new BBC period series worth catching , for those able to view it or when it comes round .  Its about a group of thugs in the Birmingham area just after WW1 . They generally ran betting and protection rackets in the city , as well as carrying out muggings . Called the Peaky Blinders because they had razor blades sown into the peaks of their caps . For those with newspaper archive access , there are plenty of references to Peaky Blinders , though can't see any references to the Shelby name in the TV series linked to them . Most of the stories in the papers I have found so far , seem to be from the late 1800s and seem to be for the more petty crimes . For me , it was not the actual story but the setting , in a gritty inner city area just after WW1 . I had relatives in the less savoury areas of Nottingham and can imagine some of it could have looked similar at the time . I doubt Nottingham had so many open furnaces burning throughout the night in the city streets  but the other street and pub / cinema scenes may have been typical of the time . http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p01fj94w/Peaky_Blinders_Episode_1/

I too am finding this very interesting a couple of questions/comments Furnaces in 1920s - probably - I went to training college in Bletchley Park 1961-1963 inclusive - yes, on that very same site as the Enigma workers in converted concrete bunkers! - and occasionally we were allowed out. When we went to London by train just a little south (7-10 miles) we passed through areas in Bedfordshire where there were massive brickworks. The furnaces were spectacular at night and were the indication to gather our stuff together on our way back. The sulphur emitted meant that the wire mesh netting round the tennis courts rotted and had to be replaced every two years. I would love to know where the logic for the close shaved side of the head hairdo comes from. I have never seen that before - was that one of the gang "badges"? 2. Computer tips: To get a £ sign hold down the Alt tab whilst the number pad is activated and type 156, similarly a € sign is Alt depressed and 0128. To get ½ as in ½ d either do it separately in Word and Copy and Paste, or also in Word "Insert Symbol" and you will find a ½ there. Jean Wood > Message du 14/09/13 13:39 > De : "david wilson" > A : "nottsgen-l@rootsweb.com" > Copie à : > Objet : [NTT] OT Peaky Blinders > > With apologies to Ted and others abroad there is another new BBC period series worth catching , for those able to view it or when it comes round . > > Its about a group of thugs in the Birmingham area just after WW1 . They generally ran betting and protection rackets in the city , as well as carrying out muggings . Called the Peaky Blinders because they had razor blades sown into the peaks of their caps . > > For those with newspaper archive access , there are plenty of references to Peaky Blinders , though can't see any references to the Shelby name in the TV series linked to them . Most of the stories in the papers I have found so far , seem to be from the late 1800s and seem to be for the more petty crimes . > > For me , it was not the actual story but the setting , in a gritty inner city area just after WW1 . I had relatives in the less savoury areas of Nottingham and can imagine some of it could have looked similar at the time . > > I doubt Nottingham had so many open furnaces burning throughout the night in the city streets but the other street and pub / cinema scenes may have been typical of the time . > > > > http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p01fj94w/Peaky_Blinders_Episode_1/ > > > Notts Surname List > > http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~hughw/notts.html > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NOTTSGEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Jean, Alt code for ½ is 0189. See http://usefulshortcuts.com/alt-codes/maths-alt-codes.php for more. Dai On 28/09/2013 20:25, Jean WOOD wrote: > <snip> > 2. Computer tips: To get a £ sign hold down the Alt tab whilst the number pad is activated and type 156, similarly a € sign is Alt depressed and 0128. To get ½ as in ½ d either do it separately in Word and Copy and Paste, or also in Word "Insert Symbol" and you will find a ½ there. > > Jean Wood > >