Every now and then a newly made discovery of a long-lost shipwreck makes the news with everything from RMS Titanic to the lost ship of Captain Cook and everything in between. There are a few shipwrecks however that are well known, even visible to us today. Out of them all, there can’t be any more… Continue reading The ticking timebomb shipwreck that could damage half of London
Category: WW2
London VE Day Photos from 8th May 1945
Today is VE Day and I wasn’t going to post anything in particular but a quick search came across countless incredible photos and so I thought, why not! VE Day is a public holiday in several European countries such as France though incredibly not in the UK as though the 8th May 1945 saw the… Continue reading London VE Day Photos from 8th May 1945
WW2 icons of the RAF
Following on from my RAF100 post the Sopwih Camel and WW1… By 1940 the awesome might of Hitler’s Luftwaffe had been displayed in the lightning blitzkrieg offensive that annexed France in six weeks. In the aftermath the British had managed to rescue more than 300,000 troops from Dunkirk with a hastily cobbled together flotilla during… Continue reading WW2 icons of the RAF
The Battle of Graveney Marsh – The last battle on British soil.
Most history books have Bonny Prince Charlie’s 1746 defeat at Culloden as the final battle to occur in this country. Of course that is just the stock answer, the actual final combat on British soil is the the virtually unheard of Battle of Graveney Marsh in the Kent countryside which took place 194 years… Continue reading The Battle of Graveney Marsh – The last battle on British soil.
The London fences made from stretchers
Famously many of the iron and steel railings in the U.K. were removed and melted down to help the war effort in WW2. Whether a large city park or a private residence, chances are if there was a traditional style railing or gate then it would have been melted down and recycled into things like… Continue reading The London fences made from stretchers
ORP Blyskawica, Cowes and an unexpected surprise for the Luftwaffe
I’ve had the good fortune to be in Portsmouth twice in the last 3 days. It’s one of my favourite UK cities and I’m always very happy when I get to give a tour here. There is more than can be seen here in a week, let alone a day but there is something about… Continue reading ORP Blyskawica, Cowes and an unexpected surprise for the Luftwaffe
The Knights of St. John found in London
My last post was all about the Knights Templars and the re-discovery of a possible long-lost religious centre in caves beneath Shropshire. In passing, I mentioned the Knights of St. John or the Knights Hospitaliers. Unlike the unfortunate Templars, the Hospitaliers are still very much alive and kicking in Malta but whilst planning out a new walking tour… Continue reading The Knights of St. John found in London
A History of Hacking – And how hacking got America into WW1
Going by the furore in the media at the moment, one would be forgiven for thinking that the world is ending because of the likelihood that Russia has hacked into American computer systems. The truth is, this sort of thing has been happening at least for many centuries if not since the dawn of… Continue reading A History of Hacking – And how hacking got America into WW1
3rd September 1939 – Britain Declares War On Germany
Today I was giving a tour of Chartwell House to two nice folk from Colorado, USA. Chartwell House was the home of Prime Minister Winston Churchill and is full of his old belongings from his radio to his cigars. Whilst we were busy enjoying the magnificent house, we came across a room-guide upstairs in the… Continue reading 3rd September 1939 – Britain Declares War On Germany
Animation of Allied bombing raids on Nazi occupied Europe
I was going to write something entirely different today and indeed had even started writing it when I happened across a segment of this newly released animated video by the Imperial War Museum in London which I thought many others would like to see. The animation depicts every single bombing raid by first the RAF… Continue reading Animation of Allied bombing raids on Nazi occupied Europe
Stephen Liddell 