Tag Archives: war

How a dyslexic schoolgirl helped design the Spitfire!

Posted on December 28, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

With its graceful curves, elliptical wings and distinctive engine sound, the Spitfireis a British icon. A status solidified since its heroic efforts in the Battle of Britain in 1940. The Spitfire is the most famous fighter aircraft in British aviation history and has … Continue reading →

Posted in history, WW2 | Tagged Hazel Hill, RAF, Spitfire, war, WW2 | Leave a comment

A visit to the impregnable Tilbury Fortress

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

Last Monday being part of a long Bank-holiday Monday and us entering our months behind schedule first warm weather of the year, I decided to visit Tilbury Fortress in the county of Essex though to all intents and purposes it … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, London, Travel | Tagged castles, Queen Elizabeth I, River Thames, Tilbury Fort, war | Leave a comment

An account of when my house was almost hit by a Nazi rocket in WW2

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Stephen Liddell

Over the last week or two I have been reading old magazines of histories and memories of my village, rather similar to some of the ones I write myself. A lady by the name of Mollie Thomas strikes particularly close … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, WW2 | Tagged Bushey Heath, Buzz Bomb, Doodlebug, V1 Rocket, war, WW2 | Leave a comment

Coronavirus Diary – Social distancing on the battlefield with King Cassivellaunus – kicker of Roman ass!

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Stephen Liddell

Those of us who haven’t gone completely doolally in these self-isolating times might remember a few weeks ago I wrote Coronavirus Diary 23 – A visit to Caesar’s Pond, Stanmore. This post pretty much carries on from there and just … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, London | Tagged Cassivellaunus, Catuvellauni, Coronavirus, Diary, Julius Caesar, Romans, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, war, Watling Street | 6 Comments

War-Time Panic And The British Pet Massacre Of 1939.

Posted on February 17, 2020 by Stephen Liddell

There are many things that Britons have been labelled. Napoleon said we were a nation of shopkeepers, he likely meant it as an insult. We’re also famously a nation of gardeners and compared to most others, animal lovers. Perhaps it … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, London, WW2 | Tagged 1939, Animals, British Pet Massacre, London, Pets, The Blitz, war, WW2 | 1 Comment

A 1915 piece of fake news… with good intentions

Posted on September 30, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

When German Naval Airship Zeppelin L9 appeared over Blyth on the evening of 14 April 1915, it was only the second time bombs had been dropped on England. Although nobody was killed, it marked the beginning of a series of … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, WW1 | Tagged Blyth, Fake News, Lest We Forget, Newcastle, Northumberland, Propaganda, war, WW1, Zeppelin | Leave a comment

Remembering a local disaster – The 75th anniversary of the Sandringham Road V1 attack, Watford.

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

To commemorate the 75th year anniversary of the 37 people killed in Sandringham Road by a German bomb during World War Two, Watford Borough Council is hosting a service of remembrance at North Watford Cemetery for those who died in … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, London, News, WW2 | Tagged Memorials, The Blitz, V1 Rocket, war, Watford, WW2 | 1 Comment

The Shortest War in History

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

No body wants a war, at least not many right-minded people. If there has to be a war then it is best for all involved if it is as short and painless as possible. History is full of lengthy, bloody … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged Anglo-Zanzibar War, British-Zanzibar War, Empire, Hamad bin Thuwaini, Khalid bin Barghash, Shortest War In History, Sir Basil Cave, Sultan Hamud, Tanzania, war, Zanzibar | 1 Comment

The Endcliffe Park Memorial in Sheffield & the incredible devotion of Tony Foulds.

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Stephen Liddell

It isn’t often that a tale of war has anything like a happy moment but in recent weeks increasing numbers of people have become aware of a terrible accident in 1944, just one of countless up and down the country … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Life, London, News, WW2, Ye Olde England Tours | Tagged #gettonyaflypast, Memorials, RAF, Sheffield, Tony Foulds, USAAF, war | 7 Comments

The ticking timebomb shipwreck that could damage half of London

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Stephen Liddell

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 … Continue reading →