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. ...

Stay informed about todays world
- 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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The 1970s witnessed more changes to the trucking industry in Europe than any previous decade. Whilst European truck builders had been developing powerful vehicles capable of operating at between 35 to 38 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW) & equipped with comfortable sleeper cabs for long haul international journeys in the UK the truck builders were playing catch up. The 70s witnessed a number of amalgamations mergers & take-overs that would change the face of the pan-European trucking industry. It saw the birth of the infamous British Leyland empire which was to have far-reaching & disastrous consequences for all the manufacturers it engulfed. In the face of booming sales of European heavyweights both Ford & Bedford launched heavyweight models aimed at this key sector but like most other British truck manufacturers it was too little too late... This is a unique account of a turbulent period in trucking history. ...

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. ...

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. ...

Items connected with the British military have always been extremely popular with collectors & the intricate & beautiful badges made to denote a soldiers regiment have always been keenly collected due to their small size high quality & the fascinating stories of military derring-do that lie behind each one. ...

Based on contemporary records & paintings this book identifies each cavalry & infantry regiment & illustrates changes in uniforms their facing colours & the nature & shape of lace worn by officers NCOs & private soldiers from 1751 to 1783. Regiments that served in the American War of Independence are noted & the book

Includes:: more than 200 full-colour plates of uniforms & distinctions. Divided into four sections it not only details the cavalry & infantry uniforms of the period but also the tartans of the Highland regiments some of which were short-lived & the distinction of the Guards regiments.

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