Tag Archives: Royal Navy

Original hand-drawn battle plans by Admiral Lord Nelson for the Battle of Trafalgar are discovered.

Posted on October 21, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

Incredible a hand-drawn sketch by Admiral Lord Nelson himself showing his plan for victory at Trafalgar has been discovered tucked inside the pages of a scrapbook after nearly 200 years. They were discovered by historian Martyn Downer in a scrap … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, News, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Admiral Nelson, Battle of Trafalgar, Lord Nelson, Maps, Military, Nelson, Royal Navy | 1 Comment

HMT Bedfordshire – The Royal Navy ship sank defending the United States.

Posted on September 2, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

I’ve written several posts about American servicemen who died in Britain in WW2, most recently on the The Endcliffe Park Memorial in Sheffield & the incredible devotion of Tony Foulds. A few weeks ago I came across a fascinating sad little … Continue reading →

Posted in history, WW2 | Tagged Cemetery, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, HMT Bedfordshire, Royal Navy, WW2 | Leave a comment

Sailing away with Flags of Convenience

Posted on August 5, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

What have Liberia, Panama and the Marshall Islands have in common? This might sound like the start of a bad joke but it is a legitimate question. The answer is that these nations are the leading Flag States in the … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged Flag, Flags of Convnience, Panama, Red Ensign, Royal Navy, Ships | 4 Comments

What would have happened if the Soviet Union had nuked London?

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

It is hard to imagine anything worse than a nuclear war and recently a normally well-hidden document in the National Archives in Kew (West London) has come out of hiding to be the star attraction in a new exhibition. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, London, News | Tagged Armageddon, Cold War, Kew, Margaret Thatcher, National Archives, Nuclear War, Royal Navy, The Queen | 4 Comments

Up Close and Personal with the Greenwich Painted Hall Ceiling

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

Two weeks ago you may have seen my post on the Painted Hall in Greenwich which is often referred to as the Sistine Chapel of England. The artwork is 300 years old however and due to age, wear and tear … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, history, Life, London, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Art, Conservation, Greenwich, London, Painted Hall Ceiling, Royal Navy, Sir James Thornhill | 3 Comments

The Painted Hall of Greenwich – Englands Sistine Chapel

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

Said by many to be the English equivalent of the Sistine Chapel, The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich is one of the most spectacular and important baroque interiors in Europe. You might get some idea what … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Heritage, history, London, Photography, Travel, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged Art, Greenwich, Painted Hall, Royal Navy, Sir James Thornhill | 1 Comment

The lonely Isle of Islay and the doomed American soldiers who died there in 1918 in 2 naval disasters.

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

The Scottish Isle of of Islay is best known these days for its world famous peaty single malt whisky but a century ago, this normally tranquil place which sits on the western coast of the U.K and facing the fierce … Continue reading →

Posted in Heritage, history, WW1 | Tagged First World War, HMS Mounsey, Islay, Malcom MacNeill, Otranto, Royal Navy, SS Tuscania, WW1 | 1 Comment

The Americans Are Coming!

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Stephen Liddell

When war was declared in Europe, the United States of America had no interest in joining what they labelled as the European War. American doctrine of the time was insular with regards to the old world and instead concentrated on … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Politics, WW1 | Tagged American Preparedness Movement, Lest We Forget, RMS Lusitania, Royal Navy, war, Woodrow Wilson, WW1 | 7 Comments

When WW1 came to East Africa

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Stephen Liddell

As we approach Armistice Day, it’s become something of a blog tradition for me to write some posts related to WW1. I thought this time to pick a little bit of an unusual subject and a little discussed arena … Continue reading →

Posted in history, WW1 | Tagged Africa, Empire, Geoffrey Basil Spicer-Simson, Lake Tanganyika, Lest We Forget, Royal Navy, The African Queen, war, WW1 | 3 Comments

The tragedy of Smalls Lighthouse

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Stephen Liddell

There have been lighthouses around the coasts and islands of Great Britain almost as far back there have been people travelling by ship. A fine Roman lighthouse of nearly 2,000 years is still standing tall within the walls of Dover … Continue reading →