19th Century
Who were the Whigs?
We are all familiar with the saying that ‘Britain basically has a two-party system’, an aphorism which until recently seemed to be so obvious as to hardly need saying. Incredibly, it now seems we may [more…]
19th Century
19th Century
Today’s 200th Anniversary of The Railway
This weekend sees the 200th anniversary of railways – or at least of the first steam locomotive-hauled passenger service, which took place on the Stockton to Darlington railway 200 years ago today (27th September). On [more…]
16th Century
Stories from the Age of Sail
I was going to call this article ‘Wooden Ships and Iron Men’ but then I discovered that Avalon Hill beat me to it about fifty years ago, so ‘Stories from the Age of Sail’ will [more…]
19th Century
Peter Mandelson – Something In The Genes?
Speaking at the launch of his memoir The Third Man, Life at The Heart of New Labour, which he only finished writing two weeks earlier, Peter Mandelson said, ‘It was a high wire act. Now [more…]
19th Century
The Shock of The Modern
Besides excitement and trauma, might the shock of the new also provide a synapse re-ordering adrenaline burst that remodels the brain? As a little boy the make-believe near-future modernist world of Thunderbirds (and the like) [more…]
19th Century
Troublesome Afghanistan
My great-grandfather on my father’s mother’s side served in Afghanistan. Being hill, mountain and lake types, our local regiment, The Border Regiment, deployed to the disputed territory between that country and British India in the [more…]
19th Century
Sir Joseph Whitworth and the Confederate Sniper
Introduction In March 2024 I purchased a first generation, Birmingham-made Parker-Hale replica of a Whitworth military pattern muzzle-loading rifle of the late 1850s. These iconic rifles gained legendary status following their use in the American [more…]
19th Century
The Iron Duke’s patience
Napoleon was very dismissive of Arthur Wellesley referring to him as the sepoy General from his time spent in India. In contrast Wellesley said that Napoleon’s presence on the battlefield was worth 40,000 men. In [more…]
19th Century
Book review: Custer’s Trials, by T.J. Stiles
Writing another biography of Custer (1839-1876) is, as Stiles says, a bit like walking round Grand Central Station trying to find a piece of floor someone hasn’t already stepped on. Such is the fascination with [more…]