The Dambuster Raids, or more correctly Operation Chastise is without doubt the most famous bombing mission of the Second World War (at least here in Britain). 75 years on everybody has heard about the bouncing bomb and the flawed hero pilot Guy Gibson. Most people, if they only know of one RAF Squadron, it will … More Testing and training for the Dambuster Raids – what’s left to see?
I know it’s a stupid question. We all know what honey is – but do we really? Before I start, another common mis-conception is that all bees make honey. Well, here in the UK we have about 250 different species of bees and there are over 20,000 globally, but only the honeybee actually produces any … More What is Honey?
As a hobbyist historian and writer I love historical links however tenuous. I recently gave a talk, in the beautiful setting of Mellor Parish Centre at the extremity of Greater Manchester, about the Poles exiled to Siberia and Anders’ Army. I was able to link in a member of Anders’ Army who, not only served … More Derbyshire’s High Peak link to the most famous WW2 Battle of Britain fighter squadron
18 March 2016 marked the 100th anniversary of the start of the little known but highly significant Battle of Lake Naroch on the Eastern Front. Sometimes known as the Russian 1916 Spring Offensive, it occurred after the German advance east had been halted in the September of 1915. The German Army had dug in through … More The Battle of Lake Naroch – Eastern Front, March 1916
Belarusian artist Vladimir Saiko’s painting “Siberian Riflemen” unveiled in National History Museum in Minsk on 17 March 2016 to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Lake Naroch on the Eastern Front in March 1916. This massive painting 305x150cm, is oil on canvas and took over 2 years to create. It depicts a Russian offensive … More Painting unveiled to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Lake Naroch March 1916
The Siege of Leningrad and the Battles for Moscow and Stalingrad in World War Two (WWII) are well documented, but very little, certainly in the West, has been written about the Eastern Front during World War One (WWI). Apart from the crushing blows to the Tsar’s Imperial Russian Army at Tannenberg, the Masurian Lakes and … More The Battle of Vileyka, 1915
Next year 2019 is the 75th anniversary of several of the most important battles of the Second World War including the Normandy landings, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of Monte Cassino. In history books the battle of Monte Cassino is often overshadowed by the others but it was the first major battle of the … More Reflections of the Battle of Monte Cassino
