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Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects
Inspired by the discovery of her father's long-forgotten photos,
diaries and letters from home, the author set about creating this
book as a tribute to the bravery and sacrifices made by the armed
forces in the often over-looked Indian sub-continent area of
conflict, 5,000 miles away from home. Now, after six years of work
and research, this book has culminated in a tremendous insight into
the appalling hardships and working conditions as well as the
ingenuity of the often forgotten RAF ground crew who kept the
warbirds in the air. Deprived by the RAF of his Pilot's Licence due
to colour blindness, Peter was based firstly in central India,
maintaining old planes that were already obsolete, and then in
Burma where the ground crew were also flying as cargo handlers and
stretcher bearers, having to land and take off in the most
hazardous of conditions on short bush strips hacked out of the
Japanese-infested jungles.
Inspired by the discovery of her father's long-forgotten photos,
diaries and letters from home, the author set about creating this
book as a tribute to the bravery and sacrifices made by the armed
forces in the often over-looked Indian sub-continent area of
conflict, 5,000 miles away from home. Now, after six years of work
and research, this book has culminated in a tremendous insight into
the appalling hardships and working conditions as well as the
ingenuity of the often forgotten RAF ground crew who kept the
warbirds in the air. Deprived by the RAF of his Pilot's Licence due
to colour blindness, Peter was based firstly in central India,
maintaining old planes that were already obsolete, and then in
Burma where the ground crew were also flying as cargo handlers and
stretcher bearers, having to land and take off in the most
hazardous of conditions on short bush strips hacked out of the
Japanese-infested jungles.
The book takes an in-depth look at the East Coast Main Line-King's
Cross to Edinburgh-between 1939 and 1959. This is carried out in a
series of chapters. In the first one a picture is painted of the
state of the network in the late 1930s. It is followed by an
account of the historical context of the changes on the ECML over
the subject years. This includes wartime 1939-1945 and the fortunes
of British Railways in the post-war period until the end of the
1950s; then follows an account of passenger services on the ECML in
the summer of 1939 and in the war and changes thereafter. Towards
the end of the book there are smaller chapters of specific
interest. Amongst these are military and other government
installations served by the ECML during WWII; specific wartime
locomotive workings; the impact of war on the ECML at various
locations along the line; accidents on the ECML September-December
1959 and snow and floods on the ECML in the 1940s and 1950s. The
period covered is a crucial one in the history of the line and it
is presented in an erudite yet readable manner.
A clear and lively account of the machinery, innovation and
personalities that have shaped the industry that provides the
all-essential daily bread. Indispensible for anyone with an
interest in industrial history. There is a wealth of literature on
the traditional flour milling industry, much of it concerned with
the charms of rural settings and ancient crafts, whereas the
history of the dramatic changes in milling methods from the 1870s
onwards has been somewhat neglected. Written by Glyn Jones,
engineer and lecturer in technology, `The Millers' sets out to
redress the balance and tells the story of the transformation of
the flour milling industry by men of vision with enterprise and
engineering skill, from the first experiments with roller mills
before 1880 to the sleek, automated flour mills operating at the
end of the twentieth century. It is a story of technological
endeavour and industrial success. The innovations were
revolutionary, with roller mills, purifiers and a variety of
sifting and sorting machines replacing millstones and crude sieving
equipment. Change was propelled by an increasing demand for white
bread, and whiter flour could be produced by roller milling of hard
foreign wheats, whereas traditional millstone methods were not
suitable for the production of large quantities of branless flour.
Henry Simon, who became the pioneering leader of the new field of
milling engineering, installed his first roller plant in Manchester
in 1878; by 1887 mills on the Simon system could produce enough
flour to meet the requirements of 11 million people. The mass
production of flour for our daily bread began in earnest. From
1904, the most forceful innovator among British millers was Joseph
Rank, who commissioned Henry Simon Ltd to supply new plants at the
main ports of Hull, London, Cardiff and Liverpool. The roles played
by the other leading millers, many of which are still household
names, are also included in this account. Despite the hugely
impressive and far-reaching technological advances made by British
millers and milling engineers, they have not received the credit
they deserve. In truth, they replaced the traditional, basic form
of the industry rapidly and effectively, and their inventions
transformed milling in Britain and further afield. `The Millers'
describes, in a clear and lively way, not only the changes in
machinery and processing and the effects on the traditional
industry, but the personalities who shaped the trade and the
companies they ran, and the myths and legends which have surrounded
them. Modern mills, rooted in British innovation and enterprise,
are impressive in appearance and striking inside, with machinery
that looks smart and is automatically controlled, processing wheat
for a range of attractive foods and for the still essential daily
bread.
A Collection of Oundle Families tells of their journey through the
census years. Many had lived in Oundle since the 18th century and
some even before. Several stories are individualised with newspaper
reports which show the ups and downs in their lives. A great
reference source for family historians.
It probably doesn't surprise anyone to learn that for each one
of us, a childhood does matter. It's a lesson the planners of
Britain's World War II evacuations should have kept in mind. Doreen
Drewry Lehr searches for her childhood, lost when she was sent away
from her mother before she was even five. She finds precious clues
in conversations with those who shared her wartime experiences on
the beautiful, isolated and harsh Yorkshire Moors. The second part
of the book surveys Britain's social policies that separated
children from home and parents
from the 17th century until 1967, when the last children left
Britain - the majority falsely labeled as "orphans."
Based on many unpublished sources, this book narrates the
individual parts played by over 1,500 of those who served with the
1/5th King's Own in the Great War. First seeing action in Flanders
in March 1915, they fought in almost all of the major campaigns on
the Western Front. Initially recruited from Lancaster, Morecambe,
Blackpool and Fleetwood, this battalion was very much a 'family'
unit with many of the men closely related and no less than seven
father-son relationships within the battalion. Though these
relationships helped strengthen the men in times of need, when
casualties were suffered they brought extra heartache to the
battlefield. Often, these tragic outcomes are related in the men's
own words. Using a combination of mainly unpublished sources, this
volume details the deeds of this gallant battalion. Wherever
possible, accurate coordinates have been given for the places men
served, fought and in many cases, were wounded or died. A series of
sketch maps detail the trench locations in which the battalion
fought. An appendix listing nearly 3,500 officers and men who
served with the 1/5th is included and is the most complete
battalion roll ever published.
The George Medal, along with the George Cross, was instituted by
His Majesty King George VI on 24th September 1940. His desire, that
the many acts of bravery being performed on home soil, in a type of
warfare never experienced before, and primarily by civilians for
whom military awards were inappropriate, was the driving force
behind their creation.The medal has been awarded to civilians and
military personnel over the past 75 years, all of whose names are
contained within this register.Never before has a register of the
George Medal been produced that presents the information behind the
awards. It stands as a testament to the selfless acts performed by
the men and women within its pages.
The George Medal, along with the George Cross, was instituted by
His Majesty King George VI on 24th September 1940. His desire, that
the many acts of bravery being performed on home soil, in a type of
warfare never experienced before, and primarily by civilians for
whom military awards were inappropriate, was the driving force
behind their creation.The medal has been awarded to civilians and
military personnel over the past 75 years, all of whose names are
contained within this register.Never before has a register of the
George Medal been produced that presents the information behind the
awards. It stands as a testament to the selfless acts performed by
the men and women within its pages.
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