The saddest post I have ever had to write, but on Monday I lost my wonderful wife Miranda to cancer. I’ve been too upset to post and the kids are devastated naturally. I’m thankful for all the kind words of support from my friends in property and my #rugbyfamily

This really worries me A month ago in Wales I suffered a ruptured aneurysm in my abdomen. I lost over 2 units of blood But the Welsh ambulance service refused to send an ambulance. I was still breathing so apparently didn't need one I spent 7 hours lying on the ground in a car park. Every time I moved I threw up from the pain. The owners of the car park called 999 6x One of the people there was a fireman. He couldn't believe that 999 treated each call as a separate incident and couldn't see the details or link to previous calls. He was frustrated because they could see I was seriously ill but you can't see internal bleeding and so there was no way to persuade 999 that it actually was an emergency Eventually my husband arrived by taxi, journey of more than 3 hours from our home He gave me my pain meds (the car park people were worried about liability and I was too ill to get them myself). This meant I was able to crawl into the car and he drove me to A&E He got me into a wheelchair. We waited 75 minutes to see a doctor. I was shivering, heaped with blankets and threw up all over the floor As soon as a doctor looked at me I was taken straight to resus. The next day I was transfered by blue light ambulance to another hospital, had a blood transfusion and spent 5 days on the high dependency unit If my husband hadn't been able to come and look after me I have no idea how I would have survived. As it was I nearly didn't I would not have been able to get myself to hospital nor would I have been able to log into some digital triage system This scheme seems to assume if you're seriously ill you'll arrive by ambulance and if not you're well enough to navigate a digital portal My experience suggests that's a dangerous assumption A week later, back home in England I had another ruptured aneurysm. This time an ambulance came in 2 hours and again I was taken straight to resus It wasn't the same because I had a recent diagnosis of a ruptured aneurysm so we could tell 999 I was almost certainly bleeding internally. But I was too ill to get myself down the stairs and out to the car. We still needed that ambulance and I still wouldn't have been able to fiddle around with an ipad Proper triage REQUIRES an actual doctor to look at the patient. It takes a matter of minutes to differentiate between a life threatening emergency and not a life threatening emergency. That's not minutes to get a diagnosis but to know that the person is stable or not stable and if not that needs immediate attention Seriously ill people can't do it themselves. It doesn't matter how smart or articulate they are normally. Or how tough. Expecting people to manage their own emergency care isn't what a modern health service should do telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06…

Falklands War. Hard to believe it was 44 years ago tonight, but I remember the moment, locking eyes with the Marine beside me, no words just the understanding that neither of us knew what waited ahead… only that we would face it together. Then we turned left into the fire 🫡

🪖 June 11–12, 1982 | Battle of Mount Longdon 🇬🇧
On this night, 3 PARA launched a fierce assault in the Falklands, securing a pivotal victory at heavy cost. Bravery, grit, and sacrifice defined every inch of Mount Longdon. Ready for anything 🆎 @BritishArmy #Paratrooper

Andrew Neil reveals there’s £9 billion ready to be spent on defence: “There’s plenty of money around, if we had a government that had the guts to do it.” @Afneil | @KateEMcCann | @StigAbell

Sad to hear Anthony Head has passed away. The Gold Blend “will they, won’t they” ad campaign was a cultural phenomenon, an ongoing saga that lasted for 6 years, captivating audiences of 30 million. The inevitable kiss even made front page news. A landmark TV moment. RIP Anthony

For the Concorde lovers out there! She’s incredibly loud!

A photo I took last year at Arromanches. Remembering those brave men. #DDay #DDay82

Sunset over Arromanches. #DDay

"You are about to embark upon the great crusade toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you...I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle." British Airborne 5/6 June 1944 🇬🇧🆎 @BritishArmy @16AirAssltBCT

Pegasus Bridge. In the darkness just after midnight on 6 June, six Horsa gliders carrying 181 men of 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry (Ox & Bucks), plus Royal Engineers, slammed down in a daring glider assault. Led by Major John Howard #DDay #DDay82

Please do turn on notifications, or keep coming back to my X page throughout the day. I have loads of powerful D-Day stories on the way for today's 82nd anniversary.

82 years ago today, D-Day took place. At 0015 hrs, our antecedent regiment, the 2nd Ox and Bucks, carried out the first action of the invasion. In this 1986 recording, Major John Howard recounts the glider assault on Pegasus Bridge, Codenamed OPERATION DEADSTICK.

Normandy veterans Ken Hay and Henry Rice were applauded as they arrived at The British Normandy Memorial for the D-Day Remembrance service.@ForcesNews

On this day in 1944 we began the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany. This is one of the beaches, Omaha, that I filmed last year. Hard to imagine landing on that beach under heavy fire and the immense casualties and loss of life. Brave men. 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇨🇦 #DDay #Omaha

.@London_W4 can I suggest this as a new tender to get to your yacht? Looks ideal for you! 🏴‍☠️

Proud to support the new National Army Museum display that reunites Johnson Beharry’s Victoria Cross and the Warrior vehicle in which he earned it during two acts of incredible bravery in Iraq in 2004. It's a must see @NAM_London @johnsonbeharry

#OnThisDay 1981 the Aircraft Carrier HMS ARK ROYAL was launched on the Tyne by HM The Queen Mother 2 years after the decommissioning of her predecessor. She was the fifth ship to bear the name and served until 2011.

No idea how he found the strength to communicate like this. Dignified and objective while utterly damming.

Good to see Henry Nowak’s father coming out swinging. No forgiveness. No don’t look back in anger. Hunt the guilty down like a dog, Mr Nowak.

War in Iran 'fundamentally changed' outlook for housing market thisismoney.co.uk/money/mort… via @MailOnline