All articles in Women in History
28th March, 2023 in Biography & Memoir, Society & Culture, Women in History
Behind Mabel’s War: Beyond the Blitz
All wars devastate the lives of ordinary people. Death and glory linger on the battlefields while many millions at home suffer the pain of fear, anxiety and dread. As a war reporter, I have witnessed a great deal of anguish in the aftermath of conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and L…
8th March, 2023 in Folklore, Society & Culture, Women in History
Making ‘The Mighty Goddess’
The Mighty Goddess is a collection of 52 goddess myths from around the world written by me, Sally Pomme Clayton, with 52 papercuts created by artist and poet Sophie Herxheimer. My 40 year career as a writer and storyteller has focused on female protagonists and goddesses. And ove…
23rd September, 2022 in Biography & Memoir, History, Women in History
The life of Kate Greenaway (1846-1901)
Once a household name around the globe, the artist and author Kate Greenaway has long since slipped into relative obscurity. Famous for her quaint drawings of mittened and bonneted girls, Kate depicted a rose-tinted view of childhood in days gone by, capturing nostalgic innocence…
9th September, 2022 in Biography & Memoir, History, Women in History
The reign of Queen Elizabeth II: A timeline
On 8 September 2022, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died at the age of 96, after reigning for 70 years. Elizabeth succeeded to the throne in 1952 at the age of 25, following the death of her father, King George VI. As the monarch of the United Kingdom and…
9th September, 2022 in Biography & Memoir, History, Women in History
Queen Elizabeth II: A giant among British royals
Descending the stairs of the royal plane at London Airport on 7 February 1952, the former Princess Elizabeth took her first steps on British soil as queen. She was 25. Only days earlier, her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, along with her sister, Princess Margaret, ha…
21st July, 2022 in Aviation, Biography & Memoir, Women in History
Pauline Gower: Pioneering leader of the Spitfire women
Pauline Mary de Peauly Gower was born on 22 July 1910 at Sandown Court in Tunbridge Wells, the younger daughter of Robert and Dorothy Gower. It was an auspicious year for aviation pioneers: on 23 April Claude Grahame-White, who trained at Louis Bleriot’s flying school, had made t…
22nd June, 2022 in Biography & Memoir, Military, Women in History
Remarkable Women of the Second World War
If I may say so myself, as author of the twelve stories (and epilogue) about the Second World War contained in Remarkable Women of the Second World War, anyone with an insatiable appetite for knowledge about World War Two must read this book. It does not have to be read in…
13th April, 2022 in Military, Women in History
Honey traps
“Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.”attributed to oscar wilde That honey traps remain among the most widely known and least understood category of intelligence operations is not surprising. Pop culture is filled with images of the irresistible fe…
27th October, 2021 in Entertainment, Society & Culture, Women in History
Black women in British theatre
In his latest book, author Stephen Bourne celebrates the pioneers of Black British theatre. A powerful study of theatre’s Black trailblazers and their profound influence on British culture today, Deep Are the Roots is also a personal history, and not an objective, academic one. H…
26th August, 2021 in Society & Culture, Women in History
Greenham Common Peace Camp in pictures
In 1981, a group of women marched from Cardiff to Greenham Common to protest American nuclear missiles on British soil. Greenham Common Peace Camp lasted for 19 years in one of the most successful examples of collective female activism since the suffragettes. Bridget Boudewijn vi…
26th August, 2021 in Biography & Memoir, True Crime, Women in History
Valerie’s story: The woman who survived the A6 Murder
In August 1961, 22-year-old Valerie Storie and 36-year-old Michael Gregsten were the victims of James Hanratty in the notorious ‘A6 Murder’. After a five-hour ordeal, ending in a layby on the A6 in Bedfordshire, Michael was shot dead and Valerie was raped, shot and left for…
24th June, 2021 in Biography & Memoir, Entertainment, Women in History
Ask the author: Lyndsy Spence on Maria Callas
Maria Callas is one of opera’s greatest talents, and yet so much of her life is lost when we focus solely on Callas the artist and ignore Maria the woman. We spoke to Lyndsy Spence, author of Cast a Diva: The Hidden Life of Maria Callas, about Maria’s legacy… What drew you to Mar…