a Coventry kid...

Today is the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Coventry, which is where I was born. That night, 14 November 1940, the medieval centre of the city was all but destroyed. While I was growing up, the city was rebuilt, a new cathedral was consecrated, the city attracted new industries. But I was always drawn to what remained of the old city, particularly the old cathedral spire, which stayed defiantly upright amidst the destruction.

Although most of my family were there during the Blitz, they didn't talk about it much.  Most of them were conscientious objectors and worked at the hospital, helping ambulance crews and ferrying patients, or in the factories, making parts. I can't say that I thought about it much when I was growing up. We were preoccupied with other things, the things that all teenagers are concerned with. I'm the same generation that produced The Specials and The Selecter, Coventry bands who captured the mood of the late 1970s and early 80s.

But it's strange the way these things start to resonate as you get older. There are questions I'd like to ask my family about what happened and what it was like but they're not there to ask any more. So today, listening to the Remembrance day coverage, it makes me thoughtful. Today's other major news story is the release of Aung San Suu Kyi who, in her first speech after 7 years of house arrest said, "I bear no grudge".

And it makes me wonder how I'd react in any of those situations, what it must be like to see your world falling down around you, how you keep going in the face of adversity and persecution, what happens when your family and life get torn apart. I don't think I'd do very well. So today is a good day to remember those who are made of sterner stuff than me, be glad that they had (and still have) the courage to do things I could never do and wish I had principles that strong.