For over a century and a half, since the Uniform Regulations of 1856 were introduced, identification of rank among officers in the Royal Navy, its branches and its reserves has not been restricted to a single, or even small number, of insignia. Rank may be seen on jacket cuffs, on shoulder badges, on shoulder boards and on epaulettes. It may be seen on swords and buttons, and in the manner in which buttons are worn. Cap peaks indicate rank, as do collars, cocked hat ornaments and cuff slashes. Rank insignia varies just as much between officers of similar rank. Cap badges and variants of gold lace stripes divide Executive from Civil branches, and from the Royal Navy and its reserves. Civil branches were further divided, and some remain so to this day, by the addition of color between the gold lace stripes. For the first time the complete range of Royal Navy Officers' insignia may be seen and studied in a single, comprehensive guide. The badges, buttons, stripes, wings and stars are catalogued separately in order of rank and date of introduction. Where possible, actual examples are used, and where not, an accurate as possible reproduction is offered. In addition, original photographs show the insignia being worn over the past 150 years.

With the exception of the royal marines, who adopted light infantry rank insignia from their earliest days, the Royal Navy was slow to introduce distinguishing rate badges for those serving on the 'lower deck'. Even when they were introduced, in 1853, the corresponding introduction of a uniform was still four years away. As for officers, the design and arrangement of buttons also played a part in distinguishing one rating from another. In a unique compilation, the insignia worn since the mid-19th century by Royal Naval ratings, Royal Marines, queen Alexandra's Royal Naval Nursing Service, the Women's Royal Naval Service, the Merchant Navy, Auxiliaries, Volunteers, youth, and other maritime organizations, are brought together in a single volume.

In early 1918, it seemed to many that the British people and the Allies were close to defeat. At home, the chief culprit was the German U-boat. Sailing almost unopposed from the North Sea ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend, the submarines were taking a heavy toll on Allied shipping, and no one seemed to be doing anything about it. The job eventually went to Vice Admiral Roger Keyes, 'The Modern Nelson', who had a long record of close action with enemies from China to the Heligoland Bight. Equally, he was unafraid of those senior to him whom he considered to be incompetent. Within days of his appointment Keyes had put together an audacious plan to sink blockships in the enemy-held ports. However, his success, along with the eleven VCs won in the battles, led his detractors to play down his achievement, even by using German propaganda against him. This entirely new account, containing groundbreaking research and rare illustrations throughout, at last sets the record straight about these important engagements.

The world of Sir John Mandeville was bounded by fantasy, superstition, and dread. For most Europeans, knowledge of other countries was limited to tales brought back by the few people that had travelled beyond their borders. In the England of the 14th century, the vast majority would have viewed a visit to the next village as a major event. Sir John Mandeville was one of the intrepid few who ventured beyond, at least according to his own book. His account of his adventures first appeared in the late 1400s and became an instant "best-seller." His tales of devils in the Valley Perilous, men with eyes in their shoulders, and ants that filled empty jars on the backs of horses with gold fascinated Europe. He also learned that diamonds had gender and, with little encouragement, would breed while protecting their owner from all harm.

Ernest Coleman has led or participated in four expeditions to find out the fate of the Franklin expedition. 129 men were lost from the two ships the Erebus and the Terror, looking for the North-West Passage. Many theories have been put forward - and some of them, in the author's opinion, have been shaped by political bias. 'The whole subject has been taken over by academics and politicians, both for questions of Canadian sovereignty and academic advancement - all at the cost of Franklin's (and the Royal Navy's) reputation.' In this work, Coleman is determined to set the record straight: 'I have provided answers to all their machinations (including the "lead poisoning" tripe, and the "cannibalism" nonsense), cracked the code in the writings of Petty Officer Peglar (bones found and wallet recovered), and given new answers to all the many smaller mysteries that continue to be reproduced by others. I have also revealed the possible site of Franklin's grave, the biggest mystery of all.' No Earthly Pole is an adventure set within an adventure. Ernest Coleman's lifetime quest for the truth at the ends of the earth is an extraordinary tale of determination in itself. The story of Franklin's expedition remains one of the greatest and most tragic events of the age of exploration.

Ernest Coleman has led or participated in four expeditions to find out the fate of the Franklin expedition. 129 men were lost from the two ships the Erebus and the Terror, looking for the North-West Passage. Many theories have been put forward - and some of them, in the author's opinion, have been shaped by political bias. 'The whole subject has been taken over by academics and politicians, both for questions of Canadian sovereignty and academic advancement - all at the cost of Franklin's (and the Royal Navy's) reputation.' In this work, Coleman is determined to set the record straight: ' I have provided answers to all their machinations (including the "lead poisoning" tripe, and the "cannibalism" nonsense), cracked the code in the writings of Petty Officer Peglar (bones found and wallet recovered), and given new answers to all the many smaller mysteries that continue to be reproduced by others. I have also revealed the possible site of Franklin's grave, the biggest mystery of all.' No Earthly Pole is an adventure set within an adventure. Ernest Coleman's lifetime quest for the truth at the ends of the earth is an extraordinary tale of determination in itself. The story of Franklin's expedition remains one of the greatest and most tragic events of the age of exploration.

This is the story of a plain silver chalice from the first century AD that now rests in the heart of England. From its momentous beginnings as the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper, and as the vessel used to catch His blood at the Crucifixion, to its unrecognised discovery in the late nineteenth century, the chalice has passed through the hands of saints, crusaders, kings, queens, Templar knights and 'Guardians.' This account revisits the beginnings of the Knights Templar and their rise to incredible wealth and power; it introduces a completely new version of the origins of the Arthurian legends; and it disputes the supposed loss of the Crown Jewels in the Wash and the cause of King John's subsequent death. It re-examines the murder of Thomas Becket and resurrects the forgotten story of a knight who went from disregarded son and child hostage to Regent of England and Guardian of the Grail. The story reveals the reason behind one of England's greatest church mysteries: an early thirteenth-century clue that has taken over 700 years to be deciphered. Most importantly of all, however, it establishes where the Holy Grail is now.

This narrative reflects on one of the most perilous quests in Polar exploration--the search for the Northwest Passage. The fabled route to the Orient took many lives, including the entire crews of Franklin's Erebus and Terror and even some of the men sent to find out what happened to the unfortunate explorers. Ernest Coleman's study tells the story of not just Franklin and his ill-fated expedition but also the Royal Navy's involvement until Scott's Antarctic journey of 1912.

It is no surprise that interest in the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon - the Templars - has never waned. This secretive organisation, the wealthiest and most powerful of the Christian military orders, existed for two centuries. Renowned warriors, builders of fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land and at the same time pioneers of modern banking systems, the Templars were destroyed over a few short years by the King of France and the Pope. Claims that the Order lives on through freemasonry today are persistently made. Ernest Coleman has researched in archives and explored the Holy Land over several years to answer many intriguing questions about the Order. He begins with the `lost' mount of Heredom (which still features in the higher orders of Freemasonry). It is not, as some claim, in Ayrshire. What is the evidence for the Templar treasure? Was it found under the Temple Mount and concealed from King Philip IV on the dissolution of the Order in 1307-12? The author has a new theory based upon his research. In fact, the wealth of the Templars is the mainspring of most of the myths and legends. The author has consulted with theologians and clergy to explore the possibility that Bernard of Clairvaux (the Templars' ecclesiastical champion) used his access to the lost Gospel to blackmail the Pope. Why was the Order given so many privileges, to the fury of most of the Roman clergy? Is there a genuine unbroken link from the Templars to 19th-century freemasonry? Did the brotherhood's `Reception' or initiation ceremony include spitting on the cross and if so, why?

When Captain Cook set out to seek a western entrance to the fabled North West Passage, his instructions allowed him no more than the briefest contact with the coast of north-west America. The burden of that survey was to fall on George Vancouver, one of his midshipmen. Vancouver was sent, with two ships, to explore the coast and to claim land for Britain. His remarkably accurate survey of the coast was to set a standard that lasted over a century. There was much more to his journey than the tracing of the coast. Extraordinarily young crews, inexperienced officers and a doctor set on Vancouver's downfall, all combined to test Vancouver's leadership to the limit. For five years, he kept his men together and returned with few casualties, itself a rare occurrence. He also returned with new lands discovered and the sovereignty of Hawaii in his pocket. He returned to a land at war and was soon forgotten in all but his native Kings Lynn. But his name has been immortalised on shores far from home.