All articles in Military
9th May, 2016 in Aviation, Military
The Rudolf Hess flight: 10 conspiracies
On 10 May 1941 Deputy Führer of the Third Reich, Rudolf Hess, provoked widespread intrigue and speculation when he embarked on an astonishing flight to Scotland. In one of the most bizarre episodes of World War II, Hitler’s deputy flew solo for almost 1,000 miles from Bavaria in…
5th May, 2016 in Military
17 First World War books recommended by our military experts
There are many books on World War I, covering everything from individual battles to the particular heroic deeds of soldiers faced with the horrors of modern warfare. Here our authors choose their favourite war memoirs and strategic military tomes which offer a better un…
5th May, 2016 in Military
Gerald Gliddon’s reflections on the Somme
Gerald Gliddon is a leading authority on Great War history. He is the author of Somme 1916: A Battlefield Companion, and indispensable reference guide for anyone wanting to understand this theatre of war. He is also the author of the VCs of The First World War series, including V…
1st May, 2016 in Military, Society & Culture
Changes to medical practice from 1914 – 1918
At the Order of St John hospital in Etaples patients received the highest possible standards of care. Medical staff of the Order were also at the forefront of medical research. The first Commanding Officer Colonel James Clark established the Etaples Medical Society on 18 August 1…
27th April, 2016 in Biography & Memoir, Military
Kitchener: A great man or a great poster?
When thousands of British infantrymen went over the top to engage German forces during the Battle of the Somme in the summer of 1916 the odds are that they were spurred on by the image of Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, the Secretary for War and Britain’s greatest soldier. With his…
24th April, 2016 in Local & Family History, Military
Growing up during the First World War in Worcestershire
The lives of young girls 100 years ago in rural Worcestershire was very different from today. They joined the newly formed girl guides, or girls friendly societies, and they walked out with their sweethearts. The First World War changed all of this as news of the conflict became…
22nd April, 2016 in History, Military
The secret court martial records of the Easter Rising
On 29 April 1916, Patrick Pearse signed the surrender order to end the Rising. On 1 May, after the Dublin insurgent garrisons had been escorted to Richmond Barracks, detectives identified those thought to have played the most prominent role; these were to be court-martialled. Pad…
18th March, 2016 in Military
Hitler’s Commando Order
The most significant consequence of Operation Basalt, the British commando raid on the occupied Channel Island of Sark, was the Commando Order (Kommandobefehl), issued by Hitler on 18 October 1942, exactly two weeks after the raid. The Führer was furious that the successful raid…
17th March, 2016 in Military
Espionage from neutral Holland in World War I
When the First World War broke out, the international port city of Rotterdam became the biggest spy centre of the world. Both British and German secret services choose neutral Holland, and Rotterdam in particular, as their forward base for espionage operations in each other’s ter…
16th March, 2016 in History, Military, Society & Culture
How the Talking Book was born
Today, talking books reach hundreds of thousands of blind and partially sighted people. It all started over 80 years ago when the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB) began providing books to war-blinded soldiers. What’s more, as part of their 80th anniversar…
14th March, 2016 in Military
The siege of Kut-al-Amara, 1916
1916 is the year of the Battle of the Somme and the maritime Battle of Jutland. However, at the same time elsewhere in the world, in Mesopotamia, a forgotten British-Indian garrison surrendered to the Turkish Army. The town of Kut-al-Amara had been under siege for nearly five mon…
2nd March, 2016 in Aviation, Maritime, Military
A tribute to Derek James, D-Day veteran and aviation author
David Gibbings, a retired RAF navigator and flight test engineer for helicopters and aircraft, pays tribute to fellow The History Press author and D-Day veteran, Derek James, who recently passed away. Derek James, the author, has died at the age of 92. Derek was a proli…