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Oxford’s history begins with the story of a King’s daughter,
Frideswide, who founded a nunnery in the meadows where the River
Thames and River Cherwell meet. A settlement grew up around her
shrine, which was built on the site of the present Cathedral and it
was also a good place for cattle to cross, hence, the name,
Ox-Ford. A Norman castle was built after the Conquest, and students
were first attracted there in the reign of Henry I. The town and
university continued to grow through the ravages of the Black
Death, and in the Civil War became the home of Charles I’s royal
court. The pioneering Radcliffe Observatory was built in the 18th
century and over the next couple of centuries industrialisation
came to Oxford with the canal and railway network, printing and
publishing, car manufacturing and brewing among other industries,
and suburbs were built to house the working population. Today,
alongside its universities, its role as a technological and medical
hub is demonstrated by its development the Oxford-AstraZeneca
COVID-19 vaccine, but it is also home to the Oxford Committee for
Famine Relief, founded in 1942, which opened its first Oxfam Shop
in 1949. The shop is still there on Broad Street today. This book
will look back over the centuries to uncover the fascinating
history of the city. Stories from its beginnings to the present day
bring the history to life in today’s city with illustrations to
show where reminders of the of the town’s past can still be
found. This accessible historical portrait of the transformation
that Oxford has undergone through the ages will be of great
interest to residents, visitors and all those with links to the
city.
Sir John Betjeman was born at the start of the twentieth century,
and lived to become Poet Laureate, an accomplished writer and
campaigner, and something of a national treasure. All his life he
loved churches, which are woven into his poetic output. He wrote
extensively about churches and architecture, telling a journalist
in 1955 'If I have a mission, it is to show people things which are
beautiful so that they will very soon realise what is ugly. When
you look at things, instead of just looking through them, life
starts absolutely crackling with interest and excitement.' Now,
Betjeman's particular way of looking at churches is in danger of
being lost in the face of a more academically driven and forensic
art-historical approach. This book picks out some of the buildings,
especially churches, which Betjeman was particularly fond of. It
highlights and celebrates Betjeman's more poetic, parochial and
personal response to the built environment, and his evocation of
the English parish church through the ordinary and the charm of
hassocks, old incense and oil lamps. Highlighting his religious,
aesthetic and social pre-occupations, this book is both gazetteer
and commentary on his own particular vision of England and
architecture, which deserves to be celebrated afresh.
After the German surrender in November 1918, the German High Seas
Fleet was interned at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, the
anchorage for the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet throughout the First
World War. Determined not to see his ships fall into the hands of
the Allied Powers as the protracted peace negotiations at
Versailles dragged on, the German commander, Admiral Von Reuter,
decided to scuttle his fleet and secretly passed orders between his
ships for their skeleton crews to open the seacocks on 21 June
1919. Most ships began to sink within hours, witnessed by a
visiting group of school children suddenly caught up in an event of
international importance. More than fifty of the seventy-four
German ships that had steamed into Scapa Flow were successfully
scuttled and sunk, the remainder having been beached before they
could sink. More than thirty of the sunken warships would later be
raised but the others remain on the seabed, making Scapa Flow one
of the world's top diving destinations. This book follows the
events of that momentous day, drawing on the eyewitness accounts of
those who saw the crisis unfold at first hand. The book makes
extensive use of archive material, personal letters and
contemporary photographs to bring alive the extraordinary events of
that Midsummer's Day in 1919.
Oxfordshire is rich in many things: fine agricultural land and
areas of dense woodland; delightful towns like Burford, Woodstock,
Dorchester and Henley; the stately River Thames that bisects the
county; the ironstone villages of the northern border; the Oxford
Canal meandering its way through remote countryside; and splendid
country houses at Blenheim, Chastleton and Rousham. The jewel in
the crown is the city of Oxford itself, with its ancient
honey-coloured buildings and dreaming spires. This book celebrates
both Oxfordshire's well-known glories and hidden gems such as the
ruined manor at Hampton Gay, the brewery at Hook Norton and the
glories of Wytham Woods. Highlighting these and other gems, this
book gives an enticing picture of the rich variety of experiences
and sights the county of Oxfordshire has to offer.
Captain John Alexander served in the Royal Engineers and was posted
to the 17th Indian Division, known as the Black Cats, which was
sent into Burma against the Japanese as part of the 14th Army.
John's unit was 60 Indian Field Company. After the capture of Hong
Kong and the fall of Singapore in February 1942 the Japanese army
advanced into Burma, catching the Allies ill-equipped and
unprepared. Rangoon fellin March, thus beginning a long fighting
retreat by the Allies through thick jungle to the northwest
frontier with India. But the Allies regrouped and fought back, and
in 1944 fierce fighting, culminating in the battles of the Admin
Box, Kohima and Imphal, caused the Japanese forces to begin to
withdraw. At the beginning of 1945 the 14th Army launched a
successful offensive pushing the Japanese southwards before them.
Mandalay was retaken and then Rangoon in May 1945. The Japanese
Army finally surrendered on 15 August 1945. Many histories of the
Burma Campaign have been written, and the terrible conditions of
jungle warfare against a brutal enemy are well known. John
Alexander returned home on leave before the end of the conflict
with his body weakened by fever, jungle sores and dysentery, and
his mind affected by what we now call PTSD. But he also brought
back with him a collection of 'souvenirs' from the campaign -
artefacts that range from Japanese currency and cigarettes to
letters, swords, a bayonet, sketches, and his own diaries, letters
and decorations. This book will be a reflection on the personal
stories behind this terrible and often forgotten war, looking at
the conflict both from a British and a Japanese perspective.
Through an examination of these artefacts, the horror and humanity
of the combatants who took part in this far-away conflict will be
vividly brought to life.
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Paperback
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R398
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Discovery Miles 3 300
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