Floating Purgatory – Life and Death Aboard an 18th Century British Prison Hulk
“The prison hulks of Portsmouth and Plymouth, England would become home to thousands of captured enemy soldiers and sailors.” By Chris Dickon “MAN TOOK ONE of the most beautiful objects of his handiwork and deformed…
The Medway Fiasco – How Dutch Raiders Dealt England One of Its Worst Naval Defeats in History
“The Medway Raid is the military apogee of the Netherland’s Golden Age.” By John Danielski IT IS THE greatest heist of the 17th Century, but does not involve gold, jewels, or chests of treasure. It…
WW1 Doughboy Wishes Us All a Happy and Prosperous 1918
Some years back, Slate.com offered this charming New Years greeting – a 100-year-old water colour of a holiday season snow ball fight between American soldiers as they prepared to depart for the First World War. Painted…
American St. Nicolas – How a Handful of GIs Brought Christmas to the Children of One War Ravaged Village
The American St. Nick tells the remarkable true story of a handful of GIs who during the chaos of war, help bring Christmas back a small Luxembourg town, and unknowingly create a holiday tradition that continues to…
‘Augmentations of Honour’ – Seven Emblems from Historic Coats of Arms and the Amazing Stories Behind Them
“These badges range from fantastic beasts to bizarre body parts.” By Richard Anderton FOR CENTURIES, NOBLEMEN (and sometimes women) who committed exceptional acts of bravery on the battlefield were rewarded with the addition of a…
The Glorious First of June – Why Britain’s First Triumph Over Revolutionary France was a Pyrrhic Victory
“The clash is not only the first major naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, it is the longest and hardest fought.” By John Danielski PARIS. MAY, 1794. An emaciated peasant mother holding a skin-and-bones baby…
