Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Perhaps one of the most memorable sights in the Second World War was the arrival in Scapa Flow of the Home Fleet after the successful sinking of Scharnhorst in the last week of 1943. Harry Semark was one of the few civilians privileged to witness it. This and other of his eye witness accounts, remembered with such clarity down the years, add value to the record of what was a monumentous six years in the history of not only these isles but most of the world. This book describes with complete accuracy and in a most unassuming way, the real story of the varied service that one man, like thousands of others, gave ungrudgingly largely unnoticed and unrewarded, to keep the Naval War machine, ready to fight and win. Harry Semark makes light of the hardships the world often worked in, in biting weather on large guns with practically no assistance, being expected to analyse and make good faults as requested by the Gunnery Officer (this was World War II practice). It is to his credit that he invariably found a way to achieve the aim, be it converting a fishing drifter for its self-protection to modifying a battleship's 15" guns to allow it to engage and destroy the enemy. A technical expert, he makes gunfitting come alive, this obvious zest for knowledge and life ensures that the cameos he paints are always vital and fascinating.

1st Battalion Royal Sussex Regiment. A personal memoir of the highs and the lows following Roy Rees during World War Two, his pre-war training and activities through to eventual retirement from the Army in 1946.

WINNER OF THE LINCOLN FORUM BOOK PRIZE "A Lincoln classic...superb." -The Washington Post "A book for our time."-Doris Kearns Goodwin Lincoln on the Verge tells the dramatic story of America's greatest president discovering his own strength to save the Republic. As a divided nation plunges into the deepest crisis in its history, Abraham Lincoln boards a train for Washington and his inauguration-an inauguration Southerners have vowed to prevent. Lincoln on the Verge charts these pivotal thirteen days of travel, as Lincoln discovers his power, speaks directly to the public, and sees his country up close. Drawing on new research, this riveting account reveals the president-elect as a work in progress, showing him on the verge of greatness, as he foils an assassination attempt, forges an unbreakable bond with the American people, and overcomes formidable obstacles in order to take his oath of office.

Michael Hafferty's memoirs of his National Service days in the RAF will strike a chord with any ex-serviceman (or woman ). He describes his RAF career from "Square Bashing" - Trade Training - Posting to Singapore and final "de-mob" in a light-hearted, at times laugh-out-loud style, which makes for easy reading. The characters he meets along his way will be recognised by anyone who served in the forces and evoke memories of the mid-50's and events now passed into history. His tales of hard-up conscripts, sent out to Singapore to serve their country make interesting reading for those curious as to what their fathers - or even grandfathers - got up to in their youth The descriptions of working with the Sunderland Flying Boats at RAF Seletar, both now sadly extinct, will prove fascinating to aircraft buffs and landlubbers alike. As a reminder of days gone by to "fellow sufferers," or as an insight to those born too late to experience the joys of National Service, it makes for a most enjoyable read. About the Author Michael was one of the last of many thousands of conscripts to go through the mill of National Service. Following his "de-mob" he joined the Police Force in which he served for 30 years.

Van al die gebeure in die Kaapkolonie gedurende die Tweede Vryheidsoorlog het die teregstelling van Hans Lötter, asook dié van kmdt. Gideon Scheepers, die meeste emosie onder Afrikaners ontketen. Lötter en sy mederebelle in die Kolonie het die verbeelding van die plaaslike bevolking aangegryp en die Britte maande lank hoofbrekens besorg. Sy gevangeneming, verhoor en teregstelling deur ’n Britse vuurpeloton op Middelburg, Kaap, het groot woede en verontwaardiging veroorsaak en hom verewig as Boeremartelaar in die Afrikaner-volksoorleweringe. Nou word sy boeiende verhaal vir die eerste keer volledig vertel.

It was a time, much like today, when Americans feared for the future of their democracy, and women stood up for equal treatment. At the crossroads of the Watergate scandal and the women's movement was a young lawyer named Jill Wine Volner (as she was then known), barely thirty years old and the only woman on the team that prosecuted the highest-ranking White House officials. Called "the mini-skirted lawyer" by the press, she fought to receive the respect accorded her male counterparts - and prevailed. In The Watergate Girl, Jill Wine-Banks opens a window on this troubled time in American history. It is impossible to read about the crimes of Richard Nixon and the people around him without drawing parallels to today's headlines. The book is also the story of a young woman who sought to make her professional mark while trapped in a failing marriage, buffeted by sexist preconceptions, and harbouring secrets of her own. Her house was burgled, her phones were tapped, and even her office garbage was rifled through. At once a cautionary tale and an inspiration for those who believe in the power of justice and the rule of law, The Watergate Girl is a revelation about our country, our politics, and who we are as a society.

The remarkable story of Sir William Curtis MP, who rose from humble beginnings as a baker in Wapping to become a self-made multi-millionaire, banker and shipping magnate who was at the centre of Georgian society for over fifty years. A friend and confidant of Kings, Czars and Prime Ministers, he was the last great Merchant Prince of Regency England!

William Marwood was a shoemaker from Horncastle who in 1869 made his mind up to become an executioner and eventually became the chief executioner for London and Middlesex from 1874 until 1883, he always said 'I am doing God's work according to the divine command and the law of the British crown. I do it simply as a matter of duty and as a Christian. I sleep soundly as a child in my bed and never am disturbed by phantoms. When I get out of bed on the morning of an execution I kneel down quietly and ask God's blessing on the work I have to do, and ask mercy for the prisoner, I have a sense of divine mission and a belief that regardless of what deeds the condemned man has perpetrated in his time, he deserves to be dispatched as painless as possible.' It was Marwood who set out a table of "drops", calculated by the weight of the condemned, of between six and 10 feet that, together with the careful placing of the knot under the left ear, would guarantee "almost instantaneous" unconsciousness with death following very rapidly thereafter. Marwood was the first English executioner to refine the "long drop" which was already being used in Ireland, it meant an end to the convulsions and struggling that witnesses saw before Marwood's time, when death occurred from strangulation. He was also credited with the invention of the split trapdoor. He dispatched one hundred and eighty men and women during his twelve years as executioner. Born of poor parents he became known throughout England and Ireland as the 'Gentleman Executioner'. He would tap his victims on the shoulder, shake them by the hand and say 'Come along with me I shall not hurt you'. In justice to Marwood it may, however, be stated that in many cases criminals are described as dying instantaneously by his method of execution; and instances are not wanting of the hard death by means of the short drop, as in Calcraft's day.

People interested in the history of India's partition invariably ask the same question: Why did Pakistan happen? Or, what was the Pakistan idea? Focusing on M. A. Jinnah's political career, this book addresses the issue of whether he had a secular or religious vision for Pakistan, or perhaps something in between? Pakistan as a country has yet to find its proper place in the world. Logically, it is assumed that if we can reach a consensus on Jinnah's thought, then we can also resolve the long-standing question of what kind of state Pakistan was meant to be, and thus how it should develop today. Pakistanis are tired of self-serving politicians, landlordism, nepotism, the rise of religious fundamentalism, corruption, economic instability, and the semi-predictable cycle between incompetent bureaucratic and military regimes. Hence for Pakistanis more than anyone else, the debate over Jinnah is a highly emotive subject, and at its heart is a battle of ideas. Pakistanis are really trying to work out something much bigger than Jinnah's place in history. They are trying to find their own historical identity as well. A well researched and thoroughly-indexed book that has earned its place amongst the leading political commentaries on contemporary Pakistan.

Shortlisted for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize 2022 for Nature Writing - Highly Commended Winner for the Richard Jefferies Award 2021 for Best Nature Writing 'A rural, working-class writer in an all too rarefied field, Chester's work is unusual for depicting the countryside as it is lived on the economic margins.' The Guardian 'An important portrait of connection to the land beyond ownership or possession.' Raynor Winn 'It's ever so good. Political, passionate and personal.' Robert Macfarlane 'Evocative and inspiring...environmental protest, family, motherhood and...nature.' Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground, Costa Novel Award Winner 2021 Nature is everything. It is the place I come from and the place I got to. It is family. Wherever I am, it is home and away, an escape, a bolt hole, a reason, a place to fight for, a consolation, and a way home. As a child growing up in rural England, Guardian Country Diarist Nicola Chester was inexorably drawn to the natural landscape surrounding her. Walking, listening and breathing in the nature around her, she followed the call of the cuckoo, the song of the nightingale and watched as red kites, fieldfares and skylarks soared through the endless skies over the chalk hills of the North Wessex Downs: the ancient land of Greenham Common which she called home. Nicola bears witness to, and fights against, the stark political and environmental changes imposed on the land she loves, whilst raising her family to appreciate nature and to feel like they belong - core parts of who Nicola is. From protesting the loss of ancient trees to the rewilding of Greenham Common, to the gibbet on Gallows Down and living in the shadow of Highclere Castle (made famous in Downton Abbey), On Gallows Down shows how one woman made sense of her world - and found her place in it.

Born into working class poverty in the North of England in 1925, Eddie Davies' personal account illustrates the remarkable and colourful lives led by many 'ordinary people'. From a succession of dead-end and downright dangerous jobs, through a ferocious (though often hilarious) World War II, back to Blighty and then off to central Africa for more hair-raising adventures. All this well before I even met the man who was to become father-in-law and grand-dad to my kids. We should be grateful that there are those prepared and able to describe their journey through a rapidly changing world - a world that has all but disappeared as we hurtle towards an uncertain future. No doubt there will be similar shared memories for many of the older ones amongst us, and a damn good read for the rest!