King Canute Lady Godiva Guy Fawkes Bonnie Prince Charlie Grace Darling & other famous names from 3000 years of history live again in these 100 tragic comic stirring tales of adventure folly & wickedness. These stories many of them virtually forgotten are Britain's heritage told & illustrated with such verve & colour that they are the perfect way to give present-day children a sense of the excitement of history. ...

This book brings together the often separated histories of diplomacy defence economics & empire in a provocative reinterpretation of British decline. It also offers a broader reflection on the nature of international power & the mechanisms of policymaking. For this Second Edition David Reynolds has added a new chapters & extends his lively & incisive analysis to the beginning of the new millennium. ...

The Women's Royal Naval Service was formed in 1917 when the call was for volunteers to release a man for sea service. At the peak there was over 5 000 women serving in Britain & overseas but efforts to maintain the service in peace time were unsuccessful & it was to be 1939 when the Second World War threatened before the Wrens were reformed. Theirs was a different & altogether more demanding role which involved the carrying out of some highly secret & responsible duties & many more of them served outside Britain. By 1945 there were over 75 000 officers & ratings & when the War ended & those who wished were demobilized a permanent Service was set up providing a career for women alongside men of the Royal Navy.rnrn This is their story often told in their own words which mirrors the changing place of women in our society in a century of tremendous social progress. ...

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- its constant change the significant events & the memorable moments that made history. The fascinating
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A classic collection showing our national foibles by the celebrated & much-loved cartoonist An assertion of the importance of tea. A keen interest in the weather. A fondness for laughing at your own anecdotes. A weakness for oak beams. A tendency to over-indulge dogs. The British havent changed much since the 1930s when Ponts first witty & hilarious observations on the national character appeared in Punch" magazine. Ponts plump rolling-pin wielding cooks & solar-topeed imperialists capture a distinct moment in British inter-war history but his observations of character are timeless. In the nursery at the opera or in the bath in tweed or tennis whites or bowler hat Pont conjures distinct complete personalities with a few strokes of his pen. Charming idiosyncratic &
- above all
- wonderfully funny this unforgettable collection will bring Ponts extraordinary talent to a new generation in a beautiful single volume."

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This is a price-guide reference book containing up-to-date values & lots of historical information on all campaign medals & related items awarded to British & Irish citizens from the second Boer War in 1899 to the current Iraq conflict. Every campaign is covered including details of the various clasps awarded. Also covered are UN & NATO engagements where British or Irish troops were involved. A separate section is also devoted to the medals of Eire from 1916 onwards. The images are full colour & are often full page sized. ...

A total of eleven British armoured divisions were formed during the 1939-1945 war but as this highly informative book reveals just eight saw action. In 1940 only 1st Armoured Division faced the overwhelming German blitzkrieg & it was in the North African desert that the armoured division concept came of age. The terrain was ideal for armoured warfare & six divisions of 8th Army fought Rommel's panzers to a standstill. Three were disbanded prior to the invasion of Sicily & Italy. D-Day saw the Guards Armoured the Desert Rats 11th & the unique 79th Armoured Divisions in action. Of particular interest is the influence of the men who led these formations & the way their characters contributed to the success or failure of operations. While some went on the greater heights others were dismissed either fairly or unfairly. The stakes were high. The author describes many fascinating aspects of armoured warfare from the reluctance to replace the horse the development of tactics or the different & improving tanks be they infantry support (I-Tank) or the faster cruiser tanks. Due to British design failure great reliance was placed on the US Grant & Sherman with the Comet coming late & the Centurion too late. The combination of historical narrative & well researched analysis & fact make this an invaluable book for the student of WW2 & armoured warfare. ...

This invaluable information resource which deals with all aspects of British Army organisation recruitment & training has been extremely popular with service personnel the defence industry military libraries & other groups who are interested in the British Army worldwide. Copies can be seen on desks throughout the UK Ministry of Defence & it would be fair to say that almost every foreign defence attache in London has a copy in his briefcase. Chapters include a Defence Overview; Army Organisation; International Commitments; Armour Infantry Artillery Army Aviation Engineers Communications & Combat Service Support; Units of the Army; Recruiting & Training; Reserve Forces plus a final Miscellaneous Chapter which deals with a number of items essential to understanding How the British Army functions on a daily basis. rnrn Lavishly illustrated throughout there is no comparable publication available on the market. ...

The inportance of the British Army's contribution to World War II
- & of WWII in the history of the British Army
- is impossible

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The fascination with the British involvement in the First World War extends to all aspects of the conflict. The battles & their outcomes; the armies & their leaders; the conditions of trench warfare; & the controversies form part of the growing literature examining every aspect of a war that was to cast a shadow over the rest of the twentieth century the effects of which are still being felt today. For the British army the cap badge is the most easily identifiable form of insignia. It represents a distillation of the pride of the regiment its various battle honors & symbols borne proudly on the metallic emblem that was worn on all headdress even within the trenches. Identification of the cap badge on old photographs is a first important step in unraveling the military service of an individual. Cap badges have been collected avidly since they were first thought of in the nineteenth century. Cap-badge collecting is as popular now as it has ever been; yet with a growing number of fakes & forgeries there is a need for a book that illustrates clearly the main types & allows the collector & family historian alike to understand their meaning. Surprisingly there are no real comprehensive web-based resources; & the available books (many of which are out of print) are often dull arcane & poorly illustrated with grey muddy images of otherwise spectacular badges. This book illustrates for the first time in full color & high quality images of the main types of badges used by the British Army in World War I. In addition contemporary illustrations of the soldiers themselves wearing the badges & the wider importance of their symbolism is also included. Employing the skills of an established writer (and collector) & artist it provides a unique reference guide for all people interested in the World War I. ...