Friday July 1st 2016 marks the centerniary of the commencement of The Battle Of The Somme. It is fair to say that July 1st 1916 might possibly the most horrific day in British history and most likely in the top two or three anywhere given the dreadful events of the day. The Battle of The… Continue reading The Battle of The Somme 100 Years On
Tag: The Somme
Shot at dawn – Remembering those who bravely died as cowards
November 11th is Armistice Day and I thought I would write about an aspect of WW1 which is often forgotten, the sad stories of those who were shot by their own side. Over 300 Commonwealth soldiers were shot at dawn, a euphamism for being executed by their own side with 291 of them being British, 25… Continue reading Shot at dawn – Remembering those who bravely died as cowards
The incredible true tale of Job Maseko – The man who sunk a ship whilst a prisoner.
As today is Remembrance Sunday, I thought I would share a short account of someone who is rarely spoken of outside his homeland but whom I have been a fan of for many years. For most people when they are taken prisoner, their war is pretty much at the end, which is often a good… Continue reading The incredible true tale of Job Maseko – The man who sunk a ship whilst a prisoner.
Sights of the WW1 battlefields
This my penultimate post for now on WW1 and my recent tour to the battlefields of France and Belgium. There are simply so many places to see and despite being out all day, every day for a week, we only scratched the surface. One of the first places that we visited was Vimy Ridge. This… Continue reading Sights of the WW1 battlefields
Paying homage at the Thiepval Memorial to family and strangers alike.
During my trip to the WW1 battlefields in September there were a number of places I wanted to visit for the first time and just as many as I wanted to revisit after a gap of several years. Thiepval though is one of the must-sees for the area, if there can be such a thing… Continue reading Paying homage at the Thiepval Memorial to family and strangers alike.
The Lochnagar Crater and a relic of war
At the end of September I visited some of the WW1 battlefields in northern France and Belgium and thought in the lead up to Armistice Day on 11th November I would dedicate some of my posts to what I saw. One of the places that we visited was the Lochnagar Crater in The Somme. This… Continue reading The Lochnagar Crater and a relic of war
Lest We Forget: A Concise Companion to the First World War (my new book)
I know what you’re thinking. Stephen can’t be releasing another book. I know, I know. I’m sorry. Long-time readers will know that I spend my summers giving guided tours and during winter I spend most of my time writing and it just so happens that it takes a certain amount of time for books to… Continue reading Lest We Forget: A Concise Companion to the First World War (my new book)
The pitfalls of picking a book cover
It’s the moment that every writer both looks forward to and dreads in equal measure; deciding upon and somehow either creating, commissioning or crossing-your fingers and hoping an inbuilt software template can create a good book cover. Book covers are important because unless you are Stephen King (I’m 50% there as I have the right… Continue reading The pitfalls of picking a book cover
Stephen Liddell 