Not many people know of Rockall and fewer still can pinpoint it on a map. Those that vaguely know of it likely do as the BBC mention it on their shipping forecast several times a day. There is a good reason for that. It’s rather in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The tiny, uninhabitable… Continue reading Rockall – The loneliest rock in the world.
Tag: Royal Navy
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 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).
Lord Camelford – A Desperate Bruiser!
Whenever I see Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak or Oliver Dowden, I always think to myself how money doesn’t buy you class and never was this more true than in the case of Thomas Pit. I must say I have a penchant for historic oddballs but Thomas Pit, the 2nd Baron of Camelford seems to have… Continue reading Lord Camelford – A Desperate Bruiser!
The Death of Nelson – A painting in the Royal Gallery, Houses of Parliament
Following my post on tuesday about the painting depicting the two allied commanders meeting after the Battle of Waterloo, I decided I may as well post on the painting that sits directly opposite it in the Royal Gallery, Houses of Parliament. It shows the Battle of Trafalgar and the dying Admiral Nelson on the deck of HMS Victory,… Continue reading The Death of Nelson – A painting in the Royal Gallery, Houses of Parliament
The London street bollards that are old cannons
Wandering around London and indeed many other British coastal cities you might from time to time come across rather strange looking bollards to stop people driving on pavements or generally just closing off areas to make them for pedestrians only. Plenty though by all means not all are actually old Royal Navy cannons with a… Continue reading The London street bollards that are old cannons
The Letters of Last Resort
Following on my last post on Surviving a Nuclear War, it’s important to remember that just because Russia launches a Nuclear Missile, it doesn’t necessarily mean we are all doomed. If nothing else we have seen just how inept aspects of Russian military and intelligence are. If Putin were to give orders for a nuclear… Continue reading The Letters of Last Resort
The Sinking of the White Ship a 12th century disaster of Titanic proportions.
The sinking of the White Ship shaped not just a country but in some ways the world but due to its distant setting and the repercussions it caused, it’s largely unknown amongst the general public. Surprisingly though, we know quite a lot about what happened back on the 25th November 1120. We know from contemporaneous… Continue reading The Sinking of the White Ship a 12th century disaster of Titanic proportions.
The monument to Admiral Collingwood
Everyone knows of the famous Battle of Trafalgar and the great old HMS Victory which you can visit with Ye Olde England Tours when life gets back to normal. I think it is perhaps the best day out! Trafalgar Square is of course known around the world along with Nelsons Column which I take so many… Continue reading The monument to Admiral Collingwood
Stephen Liddell 