Search results for ""Author Philip MacDougall""
The History Press Ltd If War Should Come: Defence Preparations on the South Coast 1935-1939
When Britain declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939, it did not come as a surprise. Hitler’s remilitarisation and repudiation of the Treaty of Versailles sounded a warning bell for what was to follow. Philip MacDougall here examines what steps the British Government took to prepare the country for the war they knew was coming. Focusing on the front-line counties of Hampshire, Sussex and Kent, he looks at how they learnt lessons from the effect of war on civilian populations during previous conflicts; the public perception of war on the home front as evidenced by Mass Observation; plans for the emergency services, food supplies, the ARP, dispersal of industry and government, and control of enemy aliens; and how effective these preparations were after the outbreak of war. This is a must-read book for anyone interested in British history during the late thirties and early forties, and for local historians in these three counties.
£16.99
Amberley Publishing Chatham Through Time
Chatham is a town that has been undergoing change for the last five hundred years. It all began with the arrival of the naval dockyard in the sixteenth century. From this, a town was created which began to grow with the rapidity of a Chatham built warship. The site of the former dockyard is still under development and in the town major changes are not only underway but others are in the pipeline and will include the Brook, the waterfront and the area of the railway station. What better time can there be for a book on Chatham that not only looks at the past but also the present? While many of the photographs show the town as it is today - many of those scenes will also be changing in the near future. This book attempts to capture this evolving town, and will be of interest to anyone who knows and loves this area.
£14.99
Amberley Publishing Lost Chatham
Chatham, lying on the River Medway in Kent, grew up around its naval dockyard, various army barracks and fortifications. Over the years the face of Chatham has changed: buildings lost, many once occupied by artisans and labourers, shops, chapels and residences removed due to extensive road projects, and cinemas and theatres now replaced or redeveloped. Impossible to ignore is the town’s history as a former military-industrial complex, with its barracks demolished and a Georgian naval dockyard that has also undergone much change now a museum and heritage centre. Lost Chatham presents a portrait of this area of North Kent over the last century to recent decades that has radically changed or disappeared, showing not only industries and buildings that have gone but also people and street scenes, many popular places of entertainment and much more. This fascinating photographic history of lost Chatham will appeal to all those who live in the area or know it well, as well as those who remember it from previous decades.
£15.99
Amberley Publishing Secret Gillingham
The modern town of Gillingham grew up on the banks of the River Medway around the Royal Naval Dockyard of Chatham, most of which actually lay within Gillingham. The sixteenth century saw the expansion of the one-time fishing and farming village of ‘Jyllingham’ into a town. The population of the town expanded as the dockyard, with its accompanying fortifications around the Medway, grew, and today Gillingham is the largest town in the Medway area. In this book Philip MacDougall investigates Gillingham’s past, including many lesser-known and secret events, including a hidden English warship sunk by the Dutch when they invaded the Medway and that was still under the foundations of the dockyard; the prison hulks for convicts and prisoners of war moored in the River Medway, off Gillingham; an attempt to turn the town into a seaside resort to rival Margate; Jezreel’s Tower and the unusual sect that built it; the country’s worst death toll from a single bomb dropped in the First World War; and failure to prepare the town for the threatened mass bombing of the Second World War. Secret Gillingham explores the lesser-known episodes and characters in the history of Gillingham through the centuries. With tales of remarkable people and unusual events, and fully illustrated, this book will appeal to all those with an interest in this town in Kent.
£14.99
Amberley Publishing The Thames Estuary's Military Heritage
The Thames Estuary is the gateway into London that had to be defended against seaborne invasion. Through proximity to the Continent, these waters were a likely passageway for those intent upon seaborne raids or invasion, necessitating the need for a powerful naval force to be on hand when threatened. The first fortifications date back to Roman times. To support the British navy in these waters, four of the nation’s royal dockyards – Chatham, Deptford, Sheerness and Woolwich – were clustered along the Thames Estuary or close by on the Medway from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries for the commissioning, refitting and repair of warships. As well as being of importance for the defence of the country, the Thames Estuary fulfilled another role: that of underpinning naval activities designed to support British tactical and strategic operations in more distant parts of the world. Close to the mouth of the Thames, and near the point of confluence with the Medway, was the Nore, a key naval anchorage where newly commissioned warship assembled, taking on crews and receiving final instructions before joining the active seagoing fleet. In the twentieth century, additional defences against attack by submarine or from the air were established, and gunpowder factories sited along the estuary. This book will be of interest to all those who would like to know more about the remarkable military history of the Thames Estuary over the last 2,000 years.
£15.99
Amberley Publishing Secret Chatham
In these days of ubiquitous, non-stop media and information you would think that there were few secrets anywhere left to reveal, but when it comes to Chatham there remain a surprising number of facts and idiosyncrasies that, over the years, have remained obscure. Secret Chatham is a journey through the past of this former Royal Dockyard home, unearthing many fascinating and little-known details about the Medway town that will entertain, inform and horrify visitors as well as its current inhabitants in equal measure, many of whom probably thought they knew it all. The book gives a unique perspective on the many less-obvious aspects of Chatham’s history and will go a long way to explaining why today’s town is as it is, and how it may develop in the future.
£15.99
Amberley Publishing Secret Chichester
Dr Philip MacDougall, local historian, takes you on a journey through the City of Chichester revealing much of its lesser-known history. Here you will find the story behind the city’s nineteenth-century banking crisis, the activities of a London mob of criminals who targeted the Goodwood races, a fascinating collection of letters written during the First World War and even how local politicians once bribed potential voters with lashings of beer. Blending the serious and the not so serious and drawing heavily on primary sources, including newspapers and original documents, Secret Chichester gives a fascinating look at this city’s past with images from long ago and today.
£15.99
Amberley Publishing Portsmouth's Military Heritage
The dockyard at Portsmouth was founded by Henry VII, developing into a naval base that was essentially the nation’s most important military establishment. Here, in times of war, huge fleets were assembled and the harbour that lay alongside the dockyard witnessed the constant arrival and departure of ships engaged in convoy duties, blockading and attacking enemy ports or intercepting hostile seagoing fleets. In turn, it was a potential target for an enemy, for if the dockyard could be destroyed or captured, then the nation’s first line of defence, the Royal Navy, would cease to be effective. Sensitive to such a danger, successive governments built defence structures in and around Portsmouth as well as barracks to house the navy, army and marine personnel. As the firepower of guns increased and the nature of fortifications changed, so did the defences of Portsmouth, with these gradually pushed further and further back so that the forts and gun batteries would always ensure the safety of Portsea Island from either land or sea attack. In the twentieth century the defences were adapted further for the new threat of aerial bombardment or attack by submarine. This book will be of interest to all those who would like to know more about Portsmouth’s remarkable military history.
£15.99