All articles in Military
15th August, 2025 in Military
Reflections of War: A forgotten WW2 photographic archive
Reflections of War is a captivating anthology showcasing 150 rare images from the Second World War. This recently discovered archive of original press negatives has been thoughtfully restored, and the accompanying press notes meticulously researched, to reveal compellin…
14th August, 2025 in Military, Women in History
Ask the author: Dermot Turing on the codebreaking women of Bletchley Park
Bletchley Park is perceived as a world of male intellectuals supported by a vast staff of women in menial roles – a place where men helped sway the course of the Second World War. But women were not just typists and clerks. They had serious, full-on codebreaking roles. And not ju…
2nd June, 2025 in Local & Family History, Military
Silent heroes of the Second World War
Tens of thousands of men and women performed heroic acts on the Home Front during the Second World War. Most were not recognised by the authorities, nor would the heroines and heroes have wished to be so commemorated – the real reward was successfully saving a person’s life.. The…
29th May, 2025 in Maritime, Military
Cunard ships at war
Since the mid 1800s a number of Cunard ships have been requisitioned to support Britain during wartime. Several Cunarders were requisitioned to support Britain during the Crimean War (1853–56). A total of fourteen Cunard ships served in the campaign. Of those, Arabia transported…
16th April, 2025 in History, Military, Society & Culture
Black Britain and VE Day
In his book Under Fire, Stephen Bourne draws on first-hand testimonies to tell the whole story of Britain’s black community during the Second World War, shedding light on an oft neglected area of history. Drawing on a wealth of experiences from evacuees to entertainers, gove…
20th January, 2025 in Biography & Memoir, Military
‘we closed our eyes to the blizzard …’ Sergeant Fred Hooker’s memory of the Long March
‘Before leaving, we were issued with rations for about two and half days. The weather was terrible, and very, very cold. We arrived at a place called Winterveldt. We had covered a distance of about twenty miles and our resting place was a barn with cold floors, with just a bit of…
5th December, 2024 in Local & Family History, Military, Women in History
Women’s Land Army in Hampshire
John Lander author of new book Don’t Delay – Enrol Today highlights the importance of the women’s land army in Hampshire during both World Wars. World War I The Women’s Land Army was established by the British government to recruit women and girls to work in Britain’s agriculture…
19th September, 2024 in Aviation, Biography & Memoir, Military
To all who fell at Arnhem – Allied and German
In 1934, aged just 16, Louis Hagen was sent to Lichtenberg concentration camp after being betrayed for an off-hand joke by a Nazi-sympathising family maid. Mercifully, his time there was cut short thanks to the intervention of a school friend’s father, and he escaped to the UK so…
10th September, 2024 in Local & Family History, Military
Repository to Resource: Preserving, researching and utilising the WW2 archives of the Royal Hospital Chelsea
The Royal Hospital Chelsea as a home for old soldiers has always been associated with warfare. The Second World War however represents a unique chapter in the history of the institution as the Hospital itself was in the line of fire for a sustained period. Casualties amongst the…
2nd September, 2024 in Military, Society & Culture
Lessons learnt from the Second World War
Eighty-five years ago, the outbreak of the Second World War was confirmed. Author Victoria Panton Bacon asks, what have we learnt? Colin Bell, now 103, recollects the announcement of the Second World War. Colin was 18 years old at the time, living with his family in East Molesey…
5th June, 2024 in Biography & Memoir, Military
D-Day, the closely guarded secret that secured victory
‘Good God!’ I thought after being shown a map with a small area on it that we had taken back, ‘We’ve just taken part in D-Day!’ Flight Lieutenant Noble Frankland (DFC CB CBE) is one of those for whom 6th June 1944 might have been just another ‘ordinary day’ in the operational c…
5th June, 2024 in Military, Women in History
‘I held his hand, he grasped it gratefully’
‘I remember one particularly badly injured pilot amongst the others being brought in. Because of his multiple injuries he was taken straight to the consultant surgeon for examination and treatment, but he was still conscious as he was taken to surgery. There was nothing anyone co…