I don’t know about you but when I was little I used to spend most of my time out on the streets. In summer time from 8am until 8 or 9pm. Riding bikes, playing football or various traditional and sometimes rough games of times gone by. I remember being surprised about 10 years ago in… Continue reading When we were young
Category: history
Posts predominantly history related.
A special Charles Dickens Tour. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.
Recently I did a most special tour for two blind tourists from Iran. It was hard work and tiring but thoroughly rewarding and ultimately a huge success. My guests were Bita and Parham and were lovely. Very clever and witty and charming, it really was their dream to visit London and follow in the footsteps… Continue reading A special Charles Dickens Tour. In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king.
Them that die will be the lucky ones (Part 5) – The Court Martial for the loss of HMS Wager and the fate of the mutineers!
This is the final post on the account of the quite frankly shockingly unbelievable voyager of HMS Wager and its shipwreck followed by the treacherous mutiny and terrible suffering all round as stragglers make their way home from the other side of the planet. Proceedings for a full court martial to inquire into the loss… Continue reading Them that die will be the lucky ones (Part 5) – The Court Martial for the loss of HMS Wager and the fate of the mutineers!
Them that die will be the lucky ones (Part 4) – The torturous trips back to England.
As we near the end of the tumultuous tale, a few people have been asking me about the title of this series. It actually comes from an old Treasure Island film and is uttered by actor John Newton as Long John Silver. It is said that all our popular opinions and indeed impressions of pirates… Continue reading Them that die will be the lucky ones (Part 4) – The torturous trips back to England.
Them that die will be the lucky ones!(Part Three) – Escape from Wager Island
At noon on the 13th October 1741, the improvised schooner, now named the Speedwell, got under sail with the cutter and barge in company. Captain David Cheap refused to go, and to the relief of the mutineers he agreed to be left behind with two marines who were earlier shunned for stealing food. The mutineers expected… Continue reading Them that die will be the lucky ones!(Part Three) – Escape from Wager Island
Them that die will be the lucky ones!(Part Two) – The HMS Wager Mutiny
If you have read my last blog post on the Voyager of HMS Wager, it might make sense to do so before ploughing on below. Wager struck rocks on the coast of a small, uninhabited island. Some of the crew broke into the spirit room and got drunk, armed themselves, and began looting, dressing up in officers’ clothes… Continue reading Them that die will be the lucky ones!(Part Two) – The HMS Wager Mutiny
Them that die will be the lucky ones! – The Voyage of HMS Wager (Part One).
Maritime history and the Royal Navy in particular is rich in tales of daring-do’s, inspeakable suffering and survival against all the odds. Whether it is Captain Bligh, Fletcher Christian and The Mutiny on The Bounty or the more recent Ernest Shackleton and the Third Man (an Angel) For every Lord Nelson Original hand-drawn battle plans by Admiral… Continue reading Them that die will be the lucky ones! – The Voyage of HMS Wager (Part One).
St Mary’s Lighthouse
For people who live in the U.K. St Mary’s Lighthouse is one that lots of people know if they don’t realise it due to its rugged though photogenic location, it is often featured on photos depicting spectacular sunrises and stormy seas. The rocky, tidal sandstone outcrop 2½ miles north of Whitley Bay, known as St Mary’s… Continue reading St Mary’s Lighthouse
The ancient Clattern Bridge in Kingston Upon Thames
Just a very short walk away from the Coronation Stone in Kingston is a remarkable old bridge, the Clattern Bridge which crosses over the Hoggsmill Rover. The current bridge was built in 1175AD and replaced a much older Anglo-Saxon bridge which was then known as the Clatrung Bridge. The bridge has had several similarly unusual… Continue reading The ancient Clattern Bridge in Kingston Upon Thames
The ancient coronation stone of Anglo-Saxon kings in SW London
Some attention is always given to the famous Scottish Stone of Scone which for centuries has been placed under the coronation throne and indeed was there when King Charles III was crowned. What perhaps is less well known that there is very much an English equivalent and it’s not one of those half hidden ancient… Continue reading The ancient coronation stone of Anglo-Saxon kings in SW London
Stephen Liddell 