Day 076 - 18 Jan 95 - Page 32

     
     1        hours a day, seven days a week, for the last 12 years?
     2        A.  No.  I did about five years of consultancy after
     3        retiring.  I was not at the my desk, as I was often away,
     4        but I would say since, well, two of my books came out in
     5        1990, so I suppose 1986, 1987 onwards.
     6
     7   Q.   This is not simply an enquiry from curiosity.  What sorts
     8        of books do you write?
     9        A.  Military history.
    10
    11   Q.   It is not like writing like fiction, military history, is
    12        it?  It is hard work?
    13        A.  Fiction is quite hard work too, sir.  I do that as
    14        well.
    15
    16   Q.   I know, but military history depends upon a study of text,
    17        documents of original sources.
    18
    19   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  There is not much poetic licence in military
    20        history.
    21
    22   MR. RAMPTON:  No, that was not really what I was asking about,
    23        my Lord.  There is a lot of reference work to be done in
    24        the course of writing military history, is there not?
    25        A.  Yes.
    26
    27   Q.   So by your window looking out on the street you have what
    28        sort of a desk?
    29        A.  It is actually a table, yes.
    30
    31   Q.   A circular table?
    32        A.  It is not circular.  It is about half the size of that
    33        table.
    34
    35   Q.   It has to be quite a big circle since you carry all the
    36        reference materials that you need for your work?
    37        A.  It does.
    38
    39   Q.   Do you write in manuscript or on a typewriter?
    40        A.  I write on a word processor.
    41
    42   Q.   Sorry, I am old fashioned, a word processor?
    43        A.  Actually it is a computer but I use it as a word
    44        processor.
    45
    46   Q.   It has a screen?
    47        A.  A screen.
    48
    49   Q.   At which you must look?
    50        A.  Yes. 
    51 
    52   Q.   How much of the time during the day do you spend gazing out 
    53        of the window?
    54        A.  I would have said it was not quite gazing, but
    55        certainly I look out of the window.  I also have to go
    56        across because a lot of my reference books are beside the
    57        window.  I have two book cases of reference works there,
    58        and also I work for a National Army Museum which is at the
    59        foot of Smith Street, so I go down Smith Street to the Army
    60        Museum once or perhaps a twice a week.