Search results for ""the history press ltd""

Oceanic was the largest ship in the world when she was launched in 1899. The White Star Line’s ‘Ship of the Century’, she was their last express liner before the Olympic and Titanic and her lavish first-class accommodation became renowned among Atlantic travellers. Serving on the company’s express service for fifteen years, she earned a reputation for running like clockwork. Days after the outbreak of war, she was commissioned into the Royal Navy and converted into an armed merchant cruiser. However, her new-found status was not to last – she grounded on the rocks off Foula, in the Shetlands, within weeks and became a total loss. When she was wrecked, she had on board Charles Lightoller, Titanic’s senior surviving officer. Oceanic: White Star’s ‘Ship of the Century’ is the first book that looks at the entire career of this one-of-a-kind flagship. With human anecdotes, hitherto unpublished material and rare illustrations, Mark Chirnside’s book is a beautiful tribute to a unique ocean liner.

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Ken Wharton's latest book on the Northern Ireland Troubles is, as always, written from the perspective of the British soldier. Here he chronicles the worst year of The Troubles - 1972 - a year in which 172 soldiers died as a direct consequence of the insanity that would grip Ulster for almost 30 years. His empathy lies firstly with the men who tramped the streets and countryside of Northern Ireland - but also with the good folk of the six counties who never wanted their beautiful land to be the terrorists' battleground. Ken Wharton is utterly condemnatory of the Provisional IRA and INLA but he certainly pulls no punches in his assessment of the Loyalist paramilitaries and terror gangs who sought to outdo the barbarism of their republican counterparts. Based on the testimony of the men who were there during that terrible year, the author tries to investigate every loss in as much detail as time and space permit, with longer chapters to describe 'Bloody Friday' the appalling tragedy of Claudy and - with the 12-year public inquiry finally over - the terrible events of 'Bloody Sunday'. The Bloodiest Year is written with passion and a detailed knowledge in particular of Belfast and the experience of the ordinary squaddie on the streets. The Troubles have become Britain's forgotten war and so long as he is able, Ken will do his best to keep the memory of Operation Banner alive.‘This is good honest history. Soldiers and civilians alike owe the author a debt of gratitude for telling it like it was.’ - Patrick Bishop, best-selling author of 3 Para

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Do you remember getting up on a Saturday morning to watch Going Live? A time when scrunchies and curtains were the height of cool? Playing Sonic the Hedgehog on your Sega Mega Drive? Then the chances are you were a child in the nineties. This trip down memory lane will jog the memory of even the coolest 30-year-old, and make you long for the days when Gladiators was on the telly and the Spice Girls spiced up your life.

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This book is a treasure trove of English oddities, crammed with the most curious stories, remarkable facts and unexpected goings-on from the country’s long and convoluted history. From frogs’ legs at Stonehenge to knicker elastic in the Blitz, this is England – the unauthorised biography.

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The Little Book of Stillorgan is a compendium of fascinating, obscure, strange and entertaining facts about this vibrant suburb of Dublin. This book takes the reader on a journey through Stillorgan and its vibrant past. Here you will discover Stillorgan’s rural past, its famous sons and daughters, its churches, pubs, shops and schools, its industries and sporting heritage and its natural history. You will also glimpse a darker side to Stillorgan with a look at crime and unrest in the district. A reliable reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped into time and time again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage and the secrets of this south Dublin suburb.

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The second millennium of mankind has been characterised by almost incessant warfare somewhere on the face of the globe. The Art of War in Twenty Battles serves as a snapshot of the development of warfare over the past 1,000 years, illustrating the bravery and suffering mankind has inflicted upon itself in developing what we call the ‘Art of War’.Here military historian Anthony Tucker-Jones selects twenty battles that illustrate the changing face of warfare over the past thousand years – from the Viking shield wall to long bows and knights, the emergence of gunpowder and finally the long-range faceless warfare of today. This is a look at the killing game and its devastating impact.

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In 1918, after years of campaigning, many British women over the age of 30 gained a parliamentary vote. Cheltenham was the hub of activity in the Cotswolds, and before the First World War it had a number of vigorous societies and individuals. From being imprisoned for trying to approach the prime minister to refusing to be counted in the 1911 census, local women – and many men – from across the region fought a valiant and dignified campaign to make their voices heard. At a time when women had very little power inside or outside the home, this is the story of how they supported each other to demand a say in the affairs of the country. Richly illustrated and featuring previously undiscovered material, this is the first book to investigate the women’s suffrage movement in the Cotswolds and to celebrate the many who supported the cause.

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For the first time, these enchanting folk tales, the origins of which lie in the oral tradition, have been gathered together in book form. The charming selection of thirty fairy tales and legends are full of Herefordian wit and wisdom, and are perfect for reading aloud or alone. Although on the surface they may appear quaint, these stories tell of strange happenings in the peaceful Herefordshire countryside, formed from early attempts to explain the natural and spiritual world. From the Saxon king of East Anglia who became the patron saint of Hereford Cathedral, and the story of the black hound of Baskerville Hall which inspired Arthur Conan Doyle, to a medieval love story, these gripping tales have stood the test of time, and remain classic texts which will be enjoyed time and again by modern readers.

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The tall, handsome Abdul Karim was just twenty-four years old when he arrived in England from Agra to wait at tables during Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. An assistant clerk at Agra Central Jail, he suddenly found himself a personal attendant to the Empress of India herself. Within a year, he was established as a powerful figure at court, becoming the queen’s teacher, or Munshi, and instructing her in Urdu and Indian affairs. Devastated by the death of John Brown, her Scottish ghillie, the queen had at last found his replacement. But her intense and controversial relationship with the Munshi led to a near-revolt in the royal household. Victoria & Abdul examines how a young Indian Muslim came to play a central role at the heart of the empire, and his influence over the queen at a time when independence movements in the sub-continent were growing in force. Yet, at its heart, it is a tender love story between an ordinary Indian and his elderly queen, a relationship that survived the best attempts to destroy it.

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The October Revolution happened in November 1917. Later Soviet propaganda pretended for several decades that it was ‘the will of the people’, but in reality the brutal rebellion, which killed millions and raised the numerically tiny Bolshevik Party to power, was made possible by massive injections of German money laundered through a Swedish bank. The so-called ‘workers’ and peasants’ revolution’ had a cast of millions, of which the three stars were neither workers nor peasants. Nor were they Russian. Josef V. Djugashvili – Stalin – was a Georgian who never did speak perfect Russian; Leiba Bronstein – Trotsky – was a Jewish Ukrainian; Vladimir I. Ulyanov – Lenin – was a mixture of Tatar and other Asiatic bloodlines. Karl Marx had thought that the Communist revolution would happen in an industrialised country like Germany. Instead, German cash enabled Lenin, Trotsky, Stalin and Co. to destroy ineffective tsarist rule and declare war on the whole world. This is how they did it, told largely in the words of people who were there.

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The Black Country is epitomised by beautiful towns and strong industry, and this collection of intricate illustrations is a celebration of the area’s unique appeal. Featuring a range of views, from historical buildings and markets to canals and countryside, each stunning scene is full of intriguing detail sure to fire the imagination and make you reach for your colouring pencils. There are absolutely no rules – you can choose any combination of colours you like to bring these images to life. Suitable for children. If you love the Black Country, then you will love colouring it in!

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The heritage railways of Britain have taken preserved steam into a new golden age. All over the country enthusiasts flock to lavish love and attention on the preserved railways and relive bygone eras, especially the ever-popular 1940s re-enactments. But the appeal doesn’t only lie in recreating the past; this movement is also forging a new present. The Flying Scotsman ran once again on the main line in 2016 to great acclaim across the country, with crowds lining up to witness the spectacle. In a celebration of the evocative world of Britain’s heritage steam railways, Geoff Swaine reflects on the work involved in keeping the preserved railways going, as well as the history of the ‘Big Four’ and insights into many of the heritage sites, alongside an array of striking photographs that bring the preserved railways vividly to life.

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Written as part of the Worthing WOW festival celebrations, Electric Pictures commemorates 120 years of film in the Sussex coastal towns of Worthing and Shoreham, capturing the region’s rich cinematic legacy and its place in British film history. From film-making pioneers through to blockbuster films and key events in the film history of the coast, this volume draws on research from film archives and local history resources to tell the story of the south coast film world. Richly illustrated and featuring contributions from local historians and film and theatre specialists, this book also includes an additional Heritage Trail guide that reveals key filming locations and the towns’ cinemas.

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Sunderland was once one of Britain’s industrial giants. Famous for its shipyards, mines and glass-making, it thrived at a time when its country needed it most. After the Second World War the town saw incredible change, as the heavy industry that seemed so permanent, faded and died. How do you cope with the loss of centuries of working tradition? These are the stories of the people who worked through this evolution, watched their town change around them and become a city – the people who saw the end of one era and the beginning of a challenging new one.

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How to get sparks back in your life and keep them burning. The blaze of a log fire on a cold night speaks to the heart in a way no other flame can. It has character and ever-changing form; it has vibrant colour and a balletic movement. Indeed, it was the flame that transformed the way life was lived on earth, but now that primary driver of evolution finds itself being extinguished in a modern world of microwaves, induction hobs and central heating. Gradually the flames are going out, as houses are now built without fireplaces, bonfires are banned, and schoolchildren are forbidden to use the Bunsen burner. But the sight of a flame remains as evocative as ever. Playing with Fire wants to inspire, and teach, looking at the history of fire and showing the wonders that the burning flame can conjure.

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The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today.Stroud’s Five Valleys in the Great War offers an intimate portrayal of the region and its people living in the shadow of the 'war to end all wars'. This highly accessible volume explores themes of local reaction to the outbreak of war; the experience of individuals who enlisted; the changing face of industry and related unrest; the work of the hospitals in the area; the effect of the conflict on children; the women who defied convention to play a vital role on the home front and how people coped with the transition to life in peacetime once more. The Great War story of the Stroud Valleys – including Stroud, Brimscombe, Chalford, Bussage, Woodchester, Stonehouse, Minchinhampton and Rodborough – is recalled by those who were there and is vividly illustrated with photographs, postcards, documents and other First World War ephemera.

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The First World War claimed over 995,000 British lives, and its legacy continues to be remembered today.Great War Britain: Liverpool offers a detailed insight into this great city and its people facing the challenges of wartime. This highly accessible volume explores the city's regiments, and includes many individual stories of men on the frontline and the vital role of women against the background of the changing face of industry, attitudes to conscientious objectors, hospitals for the wounded and their rehabilitation, peace celebrations, the fallen heroes and how they are commemorated. Liverpool Central Library & Record Office have generously made available illustrative and other material from their extensive archives.

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'Crazy' Chris Lewis played in 32 Test Matches and 53 One-Day Internationals for England. At one point he was regarded as one of the best all-round cricketers the country has ever produced. However, feeling at odds with the middle-class nature of the sport, he regularly courted controversy off the field. The tabloids happily lapped up Lewis' transgressions, such as missing a Test with sunstroke, arriving late to a match due to oversleeping, as well as naming England players involved in a match-fixing scandal, something which led to his early retirement at the age of just 30. From there he became a loner, before he was arrested in 2008 for importing cocaine from the Caribbean and sentenced to 13 years in prison. In Crazy, Lewis recounts his remarkable, redemptive story, firstly as a child arriving in England from Guyana with his parents, through to his burgeoning cricketing career, international recognition, his arrest and subsequent trial, his time in prison, and how he finally put his life back together.

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From Gower to Flintoff, Waugh to Vaughan, Cronje to Pietersen, Paul Nixon has shared a dressing room with some of the most evocative names in international and domestic cricket – and often enraged them on the field of play. The wicketkeeper, known as his sport’s most prolific ‘sledger’, has amassed more than 20 years of stories from his career at the heart of the game and now reveals them in typically outspoken style. From ‘Fredalo’ to match-fixing, Nixon has experienced some of the most notorious episodes in cricket history, possesses strident opinions on the game and has a track record of success in the English first-class game and the Twenty20 revolution. With an accent on off-the-field anecdotes, Nixon also lays bare the personality that led the Australian legend Steve Waugh to compare him to: ‘a mosquito buzzing around in the night, that needs to be swatted but always escapes.’

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Perhaps no other aircraft in aviation history has been such a well-kept secret as the United States’ Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird. This cutting-edge aircraft took the art of aerial spying to an unprecedented level and did it all from highly clandestine high-speed spy missions over Communist nations during the late 1960s and 1970s. With the help of breath-taking photographs, Mark Chambers tells the fascinating story of this truly unique aircraft’s design and development as well as its famous and ingenious designer Mr Clarence ‘Kelly’ Johnson.

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Gunner of the Somme is a remarkable memoir detailing the life of a gunner on the Western Front as observed by a gentleman scientist who served in the ranks. William Price was a Cambridge botanist who worked at Kew Gardens but a speech impediment made him feel unable to serve as an officer. He enrolled in the ranks and left this incredible description of how the brigade operated, how men worked on the guns and his experiences as a gunner. His account runs from the outbreak of war until he was wounded in late 1917, and there is a moving postscript written in 1958 when he returned to the battlefields around Ypres. In addition to his descriptions of the fighting at the Somme and Passchendaele, he includes fine detail – such as food and swearing in the ranks – that is hard to find elsewhere.

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‘To shoot a man on the spur of the moment in the presence of the king and his court, not to mention the cardinal and his household, that took a boldness … Or utter despair.’ - Hampton Court, 1522Lawyer Hugh Mac Egan has arrived from Ireland to draw up the marriage contract between James Butler, son of his employer the Earl of Ormond, and Anne Boleyn – a dynastic alliance that will resolve an age-old inheritance dispute. But Anne, it seems, has other ideas. Her heart is set on Harry Percy, heir to the magnificent earldom of Northumberland, sparking rivalry between the two young men. When a member of Cardinal Wolsey’s palace staff is found shot dead with an arrow, Percy is quick to give evidence that implicates Butler. And with Percy’s testimony backed up by Butler’s artful bride-to-be, things start to look bleak for the young Irishman. In Tudor England, the accused is guilty until proven innocent. Against the backdrop of the Lenten festivities, Mac Egan sets out to exonerate his patron’s heir and find the real killer, uncovering as he does so the many factions and intrigues that lie beneath the surface at the cardinal’s court.

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1966 was an iconic year in an incredible decade. The Beatles were at the height of their fame, programmes such as Ready Steady Go! and Top of the Pops dominated the television screen, and England won the World Cup in nail-biting fashion against West Germany at Wembley. For those of us who were around during this incredible year it still seems like yesterday. But now, fifty years later, this collection of memories by bestselling author Paul Feeney will be enjoyed by anyone who lived through 1966.

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This book, a continuation of volumes one and two, completes the study of more than a hundred British regiments all of whom played more than important roles in world history. In testing times, on foreign adventures victorious, glorious and sometimes disastrous, they have helped shape the history of the British Isles. In this third volume thirty-four regiments are featured – their battle honours, badges and most famous sons – including the stories of the heroic actions of their Victoria Cross holders. Each regiment’s section includes artworks and photographs illustrating insignia, uniforms and soldiers in action down through the centuries. While the tales of courage and loss are in themselves enthralling, Dorian Bond divulges many interesting facts about these unique bodies of men: how did the 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment get their acorn and oak leaf badge? Which South Staffordshire man became the inspiration for Terence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy? Did you know that a princess wrote ‘The Royal Windsor’ quick march for the 29th of Foot, later the Worcestershire Regiment? Covering action wherever the regiments found it, from the High Veldt of South Africa to the grim trenches of Passchendaele and from the disaster of Dunkirk to the triumph of Waterloo, Famous Regiments of the British Army Volume Three tells the stories of some of the world’s most famous battles and the role these regiments played in them.

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Admiral Lord Nelson’s diamond Chelengk is one of the most famous and iconic jewels in British history. Presented to Nelson by the Sultan Selim III of Turkey after the Battle of the Nile in 1798, the jewel had thirteen diamond rays to represent the French ships captured or destroyed at the action. A central diamond star on the jewel was powered by clockwork to rotate in wear. Nelson wore the Chelengk on his hat like a turban jewel, sparking a fashion craze for similar jewels in England. The jewel became his trademark to be endlessly copied in portraits and busts to this day. After Trafalgar, the Chelengk was inherited by Nelson’s family and worn at the Court of Queen Victoria. Sold at auction in 1895 it eventually found its way to the newly opened National Maritime Museum in Greenwich where it was a star exhibit. In 1951 the jewel was stolen in a daring raid by an infamous cat-burglar and lost forever. For the first time, Martyn Downer tells the extraordinary true story of the Chelengk: from its gift to Nelson by the Sultan of Turkey to its tragic post-war theft, charting the jewel’s journey through history and forging sparkling new and intimate portraits of Nelson, of his friends and rivals, and of the woman he loved.

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Yorkshire has charmed visitors for centuries, and this collection of intricate illustrations is a celebration of the county’s unique appeal. Featuring a range of picturesque vistas, from Norman castles and medieval abbeys to windswept moors and walled cities, each stunning scene is full of intriguing detail sure to fire the imagination and make you reach for your colouring pencils. There are absolutely no rules – you can choose any combination of colours you like to bring these images to life. Suitable for children. If you love Yorkshire, then you will love colouring it in!

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Essex has charmed visitors for centuries, and this collection of intricate illustrations is a celebration of the county’s unique appeal. Featuring a range of picturesque vistas, from Norman castles and country parks to rugged coastlines and historic architecture, each stunning scene is full of intriguing detail sure to fire the imagination and make you reach for your colouring pencils. There are absolutely no rules – you can choose any combination of colours you like to bring these images to life. Suitable for children. If you love Essex, then you will love colouring it in!

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The Highlands and Islands of Scotland have charmed visitors for centuries, and this collection of intricate illustrations is a celebration of this ancient landscape’s unique appeal. Featuring a range of vistas, from majestic mountains and picturesque lochs to historic castles and famous battlefields, each stunning scene is full of intriguing detail sure to fire the imagination and make you reach for your colouring pencils. There are absolutely no rules – you can choose any combination of colours you like to bring these images to life. Suitable for children. If you love this historic region of Scotland then you will love colouring it in!

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Vulcan: God of Fire is a historical account of Britain’s nuclear deterrent force, the development of atomic/thermonuclear weapons and the bombers. It includes a description of the design, development and manufacture of the Vulcan, the flight-testing programme and entry into RAF service. There is also a full account of the Vulcan’s career, including its primary role as a nuclear bomber and as a key participant in the 1982 Falklands conflict. Further coverage includes the use of the Vulcan as a refuelling tanker and reconnaissance platform, and the Vulcan XH558, whose last flight was on 28 October 2015. Historical information is combined with first-hand accounts from former air and ground crews, and a full description of the service history or disposal of every Vulcan aircraft manufactured is included. This book comprises a comprehensive work on the Vulcan aircraft and its role in British aviation, with many stunning images to accompany this definitive account.

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Have you ever wondered what a snap dragon, a mammoth and mustard all have in common? The answer is Norfolk! Inspired by seven unique objects at Norfolk Collections Centre, this book tells seven stories, all from different periods in time, which combine local history with imagination and fun. Discover the magic of the Norwich Snap Dragon, adventure through pre-historic Norfolk with a mammoth, find out why the region’s famous mustard doesn’t mix with smelly feet, and get swept back in time to experience Norwich as it was seen through the eyes of two mysterious statues.

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The Channel Islands have charmed visitors for centuries, and this collection of intricate illustrations is a celebration of the islands’ unique appeal. Featuring a range of picturesque vistas from Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney and Sark, scenes include sandy beaches, walking trails along cliffs and beautiful inland valleys, to scenic towns and defensive castles that have remained relatively unchanged for centuries. Each stunning scene is full of intriguing detail sure to fi re the imagination and make you reach for your colouring pencils. There are absolutely no rules – you can choose any combination of colours you like to bring these wonderful images to life. Suitable for children. If you love the Channel Islands, then you will love colouring them in!

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Storyteller Sheila Kinninmonth brings together stories from the coastal fishing villages, rushing rivers, magical green farmland and rolling hills of Fife. In this treasure trove of tales you will meet Scottish Kings and Queens, saints and sinners, witches and wizards, ghosts and giants, broonies, fools and tricksters – all as fantastical and powerful as the landscape they inhabit. Retold in an engaging style, and richly illustrated with unique line drawings, these humorous, clever and enchanting folk tales are sure to be enjoyed and shared time and again.

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For many the GWR was synonymous with holidays by the sea in the West Country, but it was built to serve as a fast railway line to London, especially for the merchants and financiers of Bristol. Its operations stretched as far as Merseyside, it provided most services in Wales, and it was the main line to Cardiff, Bristol, Cornwall and Birmingham. This book, a classic first published in 2006, reveals the equipment, stations, network, shipping and air services, bus operations including Western National, and overall reach and history of the GWR. Forming part of a series, along with The LMS Handbook, The LNER Handbook and The Southern Railway Handbook, this new edition provides an authoritative and highly detailed reference of information about the GWR.

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Bexhill-on-Sea has a long and eventful history, yet the fascinating past of this remarkable town is not as well known as it deserves to be. This is probably because its major development occurrred very rapidly at the end of the 19th century – whereby it became the youngest borough in Sussex at its incorporation in 1902 – drawing attention away from its ancient origins and deep roots. In this book the author traces Bexhill’s entire story, from the earliest archaeological and geological evidence through its first documentary mention in ad 772, its relative importance as a Domesday manor with two churches, and long periods of land ownership by the bishops of Chichester, the dukes of Dorset and finally the earls De La Warr. He uses previously unpublished paintings, drawings and photographs from the rich archives of Bexhill Museum lavishly to illustrate the events and developments explored and explained in his entertaining narrative. Despite its antiquity, Bexhill was still only a small village clustered around the Saxon church on the hill, today known as ‘Old Town’ until the Napoleonic wars made it into a garrison town with the building of a depot and parade ground for 5,000 soldiers of the King’s German Legion. Though the railway came in 1846, it was not until the 1880s that the De La Warrs began to develop the town. By 1902 Bexhill attracted national attention by hosting Britain’s first ever motor car race. The story of its best known building, the internationally important De La Warr Pavilion, built in 1935, is told in detail, as are the town’s war years and its post-war changes. This very readable book will be warmly welcomed throughout the entire area..

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The plot could have been inspired by Evelyn Waugh’s Vile Bodies, but unlike Waugh's novel – which parodies the era of the ‘Bright Young Things’ – The Mistress of Mayfair is a real-life story of scandal, greed, corruption and promiscuity at the heart of 1920s and ’30s high society, focusing on the wily, willful socialite Doris Delevingne and her doomed relationship with the gossip columnist Valentine Browne, Viscount Castlerosse. Marrying each other in pursuit of the finer things in life, their unlikely union was tempestuous from the off, rocked by affairs (with a whole host of society figures, including Cecil Beaton, Diana Mitford and Winston Churchill, amongst others) on both sides, and degenerated into one of London’s bitterest, and most talked about, divorce battles. In this compelling new book, Lyndsy Spence follows the rise and fall of their relationship, exploring their decadent society lives in revelatory detail and offering new insight into some of the mid twentieth century’s most prominent figures.

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F.W. Harvey was one of a generation whose lives were splintered by the First World War, and one of that group of war poets for whom the war changed everything. He joined the 5th Battalion of the Gloucestershire Regiment only days after war was declared, and was among the first Territorials to land in France. As a Lance-Corporal he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for ‘conspicuous gallantry’ and was commissioned shortly afterwards. He survived the Somme offensive but in August 1916 was captured by the Germans while reconnoitring alone behind enemy lines. He spent the rest of the war in p-o-w camps. But Harvey was more than just a tough soldier. A contemporary of Sassoon, Brooke and Thomas – and with Ivor Gurney his closest friend – he wanted nothing more when ‘at rest’ than an interval of quiet in which to set down in verse his longing for his Gloucestershire homeland, his outrage at the waste of war, his joy in comradeship, his humour and his unflinching faith. This biography contains many of the poems, including the world-famous ‘Ducks’, and is illustrated with a wealth of contemporary photographs

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Born in inner-city Birmingham, from an ‘impeccable working class pedigree’, Graham Satchwell was diagnosed with a serious illness at age 7 – a condition which should have barred his entry to the police force. Forty-two years later, he was Britain’s senior-most railway detective. In a career that encompassed every CID rank and involved some of the country’s toughest gangsters, petty thieves, bomb threats, terrorism, the odd politician and even the Queen, Graham Satchwell has seen it all. Infused with humour and genuine down-to-earth wisdom, An Inspector Recalls is a frank and intimate account of a life spent on the frontier between crime and punishment that recalls the gangsters, politics and often-questionable police culture of the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s.

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St Neots, together with Eynesbury, Eaton Socon and Eaton Ford, has long lacked a comprehensive and fully illustrated history. The deficiency is made good in splendid style by this well‑researched book. From the first appearance of local tracks and river crossings, the author describes how the earliest Neolithic settlements developed through succeeding ages until there were well-established communities by the time the Romans came. In a very readable and highly illustrated narrative the author explores the lives and work of the ordinary townspeople through the centuries, as well as describing the more dramatic episodes such as a Civil War battle in 1648, three gruesome murders and a daring bank robbery. Among notable personalities in the story are the man who assassinated a Prime Minister, one who achieved fame by growing to be eight feet six inches tall and the first British quadruplets to survive. This is a significant contribution to the published history of East Anglia that will be warmly welcomed throughout the area.

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‘Meticulously researched.’ - Stewart Lamont, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Centre‘Sandford’s accomplished, well-crafted work brings Conan Doyle into sharp relief as a man of scrupulous fairness and great integrity.’ - Library Journal‘Adds a new dimension to our understanding of the creator of Sherlock Holmes.’ - Hugh Ashton, author and reviewerWhen Arthur Conan Doyle was a lonely 7-year-old schoolboy at pre-prep Newington Academy in Edinburgh, a French émigré named Eugene Chantrelle was engaged there to teach Modern Languages. A few years later, Chantrelle would be hanged for the particularly grisly murder of his wife, beginning Doyle’s own association with some of the bloodiest crimes of the Victorian and Edwardian eras.This early link between actual crime and the greatest detective story writer of all time is one of many fascinating and sometimes chilling connections. Using freshly available evidence and eyewitness testimony, Christopher Sandford follows these links and draws out the connections between Doyle’s literary output and true crime in a pattern that will enthral and surprise the legions of Sherlock Holmes fans. In a sense, Doyle wanted to be Sherlock – to be a man who could bring order and justice to a terrible world.

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It was in the closing year of the First World War, on 1 April 1918, that the Royal Air Force was born from the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. Since then, the RAF has helped lead the world in the development of aviation and air warfare. From the fighters and bombers of the Second World War, through the early jet age and into modern remotely piloted air systems, the last hundred years’ development has been astronomical, and the human story no less impressive. Here Peter Jacobs gathers the most poignant objects of the RAF’s proud history and displays them together, in full splendid colour, for the first time. Aircraft, memorials, uniforms, equipment, and some items you would never expect – it’s all here, ready to be explored.

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Jean Claude Guiet, born in France and raised in the US, attended Harvard aged 18 until, as a ‘naïve’ 19-year-old, he entered the US Army in 1943. As a native French speaker he was quickly assigned to SOE and the OSS (the precursor of the CIA) and parachuted into occupied France in the lead up to D-Day. After the liberation of Paris he was sent to Indochina to organise and train tribes in the jungles of the Far East to fight the Japanese. Subsequently he worked for the CIA in Washington. Told with characteristic understatement and charm, Jean Claude’s writing perfectly captures the variety of his own long and fascinating life. Much more than one man’s memoirs, Dead on Time is a tribute to a unique generation whose lives were regularly filled with both danger and laughter.

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‘Chris Nickson works his usual magic, populating late medieval Chesterfield with characters that are clearly of their time and yet jump off the page, vibrant and familiar. The icing on the cake (or the jeweled cover on the exquisite psalter) – a fiendishly clever puzzle. Highly recommended!’ Candace Robb, author of the bestselling Owen Archer mysteries 1361: John the Carpenter, married and soon to become a father, has plenty of work to keep him busy in Chesterfield. But when an elderly man in the town is found murdered with no clue as to why, the coroner calls upon John’s mystery-solving expertise once again. However, this is a crime where nothing is as it appears. When the suspected murderer is found dead and a valuable Book of Psalms vanishes, John is suddenly embroiled in a string of crimes that threaten his own life and the safety of his new family.

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German soldiers assigned to guard the tiny Channel Island of Sark described it as a ‘little Paradise’ and, because it was never bombed by the RAF, the best air-raid shelter in all of Europe. But paradise for them came to a bloody end in October 1942 when a small group of British Commandos raided the island, capturing one German soldier and killing several others. Operation Basalt would have been a footnote in history but for the reaction of Hitler, who believed that British soldiers executed several Germans who had already surrendered and whose hands were bound. Days after the raid, he issued the infamous ‘Commando Order’, a death sentence for those Allied commandos who fell into German hands. Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews with survivors of the period, Eric Lee has written the definitive account of the raid, putting it into the context of the German occupation of British lands during the war.

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From a spectral horse and carriage heard galloping along Church Street to unexplained sightings of the market town’s mysterious Grey Lady, this collection of hauntings from Bishop’s Stortford is guaranteed to make your blood run cold. Featured here are reports of a shrieking woman in Water Lane, the ghost of a Victorian child at the Black Lion pub, an ominous black shape in the graveyard of St Michael’s church, and even a phantom army from the days of Cromwell, among many others. So draw the curtains, dim the lights, choose your favourite chair and immerse yourself in a journey into the realms of the supernatural.

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Marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, this commemorative book recalls the momentous events that culminated in a ferocious and unique air battle over south-east England in the summer of 1940. The amazing resilience of the RAF pilots and their aircraft in the face of the apparently overwhelming strength of the German Luftwaffe is legendary. From the earliest threat of invasion to ‘their finest hour’, as Adolf Hitler calls off his invasion plan, Hurricane and Spitfire pilots guided by RAF leadership, tactics and organisation fought against the odds to secure Britain’s safety. The Battle of Britain Yearbook also includes a colourful look at some of the former RAF and Luftwaffe aircraft that can be seen flying at airshows in the UK or on display in the Battle of Britain Hall at the RAF Museum, Hendon. It also charts the history of the ever popular RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight from its tentative beginning as the Historic Aircraft Flight in 1957 through to the present day.

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When people think of Richard the Lionheart they recall the scene at the end of every Robin Hood epic when he returns from the Crusades to punish his treacherous brother John and the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham. In reality Richard detested England and the English, was deeply troubled by his own sexuality and was noted for greed, not generosity, and for murder rather than mercy. In youth Richard showed a taste for cruelty and a rapacity for gold that would literally be the death of him. To save his own skin, he repeatedly abandoned his supporters, and his indifference to women saw the part of queen at his coronation played by his formidable mother, Queen Eleanor. His brief reign bankrupted England twice, destabilised his parents' powerful empire and set the scene for his brother’s ruinous rule. So how has Richard come to be known as the brave and patriotic Christian warrior? Lionheart reveals the scandalous truth about England’s hero king – a truth that is far different from the legend that has endured for eight centuries.

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This fantastic collection of true tales celebrates the strange and curious secrets of Merseyside’s history. The fifty stories inside – from the lion in the wheelbarrow on the tightrope to the twelve young women ‘smothered by the incurable malady they caught of some sailors’, the true tale of the ‘man in the iron coffin’ and the strange and mysterious disappearance of the Everest mountaineers from Birkenhead – uncover some truly amazing and extraordinary facets of the area’s history and heritage. Richly illustrated and compiled by Liverpool’s own historian Ken Pye, this book will delight residents and visitors alike.

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In this first biography of Theodore Paleologus, new documentary evidence exposes him as a hardened mercenary and killer in the pay of the wicked Earl of Lincoln but also supports his imperial pretensions – long dismissed by historians. Yet despite his black record, memorial services are still conducted with imperial honours at Theodore’s grave in Cornwall and he now enjoys a new lease of life in fantasy fiction. Award-winning author John Hall traces the extraordinary real lives of Theodore Paleologus and his three sons – from contract killings throughout Europe to fighting one another in the English Civil War, and from buccaneering on the Spanish Main to a pioneering role in the Caribbean slave trade. Their true story is contrasted with parallel lives on the wilder shores of literature which link Theodore to the bloodline of Christ, the biblical End of Days, and a claim to the throne of England. Here, Hall finally separates fact from fable in the patchy history of this legendary but elusive villain.

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