Derek Robinson

1 portrait by Fay Godwin

© estate of Fay Godwin / British Library / National Portrait Gallery, London

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Derek Robinson

by Fay Godwin
bromide print, 1970s
6 5/8 in. x 4 5/8 in. (168 mm x 117 mm)
Given by Fay Godwin, before 1979
Photographs Collection
NPG x68240

Sitterback to top

Artistback to top

  • Fay Godwin (1931-2005), Photographer. Artist or producer of 48 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.

Events of 1970back to top

Current affairs

Edward 'Ted' Heath wins a surprise victory for the Conservative party at the general election, becoming Prime Minister. Opinion polls had predicted a comfortable Labour victory, but with a failing economy, the Tories snatched a narrow last minute majority.

Art and science

Germaine Greer publishes The Female Eunuch, an influential feminist text arguing that women's sexuality and capacity for action are repressed by the family and their roles in society. Greer suggested that women should get to know their bodies and become empowered by their sexuality. The book was an international best seller.

International

Four aircraft are hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. The planes were landed in Cairo, Jordan and London and the hijackers demanded the release of Political Prisoners in exchange for the hostages. Several prisoners were returned and three of the planes were blown up after most of the hostages were release.
Four students are shot dead by national guardsmen during a protest against the Vietnam War in America.

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Robin Seavill

25 May 2019, 21:31

This Derek Robinson is the Bristol-born writer whose many historical novels about the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War and the RAF in the Second are known for their realism and black humour. His first novel Goshawk Squadron (1971) was shortlisted for the Booker Prize while Piece of Cake (1983) was later adapted into a TV series. His work - both the novels and his non-fiction history books - debunk many of the myths of war which have built up in the popular imagination about these conflicts. He was born in 1932, attended Cotham Grammar School in Bristol, read History at Downing College, Cambridge, and after national service in the RAF he spent several years at a Madison Avenue ad agency. He is a qualified rugby referee, has worked as a radio commentator on the sport, and has also written several humorous works about the Bristol dialect which he calls 'Bristle'. I understand he still lives and works in his hometown.