I had no idea that there were POW camps in Britain. I knew that there were some POWs here, but not that barracks were built for this purpose. Obviously I was very curious to read German Prisoners of the Great War by Anne Buckley*. It…
I’ve read a few books by this author and I liked them a lot. First World War Trials and Executions by Simon Webb* is a book about Britain’s Traitors, Spies and Killers, 1914-1918, as the subtitle suggests. It is a less known subject and, of…
I was excited to read Posters of the Great War by Frederick Hadley, Martin Pegler* and I’m so glad I did. It is an amazing book. I was expecting to see posters from Britain, but the book is so much more than that. It contains…
I enjoyed reading Women in the Great War by Stephen Wynn, Tanya Wynn*. I expected to read about canary girls, but it was so much more than that. There are spies and nurses and the book was so much more interesting than I imagined it…
Secret Casualties of World War Two by Simon Webb* – Uncovering the Civilian Deaths from Friendly Fire is a fascinating book, so worth reading. Webb gives quotes from primary sources, including some newspapers articles. He examines bomb-shelters and the Anti-Aircraft guns used at the time.…
When it comes to controversial topics, Suffragette Fascists by Simon Webb* surely is talking about one of them. The subtitle is Emmeline Pankhurst and Her Right-Wing Followers. As I was not born or raised in UK, I think I can engage with this topic more…
I was curious to read Post-War Childhood by Simon Webb – Growing Up in the Not-So-Friendly ‘Baby Boomer’ Years* because I can’t say I know a lot abut life in post-war Britain and next year it’s something I’m going to study. Some of the things…
The Analogue Revolution by Simon Webb – Communication Technology 1901–1914* – is the second book I read by this author and it is just as good as the first one. The focus of the book is on the start of the 20th century, but, of…
I can’t be 100% unbiased when it comes to this book – Britain and the Spanish Civil War by Tom Buchanan. Tom is my tutor, I studied with him for my first year and again for this second year, the module on the Spanish Civil…
Total Undersea War by Aaron Stephan Hamilton*, with the subtitle The Evolutionary Role of the Snorkel in Donitz’s U-Boat Fleet 1944-1945, is a book about U-boats. At ~350 pages (excluding the appendix and bibliography) this is a very detailed book on U-boats developed in the…
When it comes to war, and especially WW2, I think of food shortages and mass destruction, but I did not consider how much life changed. Women’s Lives and Clothes in WW2 by Lucy Adlington* deals with a less thought-off aspect of everyday life during wartime:…
I was curious to know more about the Flying Squad after seeing it mentioned in a book I read previously, and so, I was very pleased to receive Scotland Yard’s Flying Squad by Dick Kirby* for review. I imagined it would be a book on…
WW2 From Above by Julian Thompson* gives an aerial view of the battle sites. The satellite images are annotated with details of the battle and the forces involved are marked on the image too. It is similar to a battle map, but made on a…
I have to admit that I was not sure what rating to give to The Battle of the Atlantic by Bernard Ireland*. It is a good history book, with plenty of facts and details. At the same time, it is quite dry. In the end…
Elizabeth: Celebration in Photographs by Jennie Bond* is such a gorgeous book. There are lots and lots of pictures, about 200 of them, with short descriptions, which is wonderful. Each chapter, in which the reign is divided by decades, starts with a description of a…
Two days ago NHS turned 72, which provided me with the perfect opportunity to read The NHS at 70 by Ellen Welch*. Welch is a doctor, which offers a fascinating insight into the history of the NHS. She is frustrated with some of the things…