The Royal Scots Greys: The regiment that caught the French Eagle. The image of the Scots Greys charging out of the picture in Lady Elizabeth Butler’s classic painting Scotland Forever! depicts one of the proudest moments in the regiment’s history. The truth, however, is far more remarkable than the portrayal of wild galloping horses in […]
Articles
Rare Nazi propaganda unearthed
A series of German World War II propaganda leaflets have come light, after being put on sale by private collectors. It is likely that the leaflets, intended for British servicemen, were masterminded by the Nazi head of propaganda, Joseph Goebbels. They were dropped into occupied France following D-Day, June 1944. According to Richard Westwood-Brookes, of […]
RAF Lossiemouth faces closure
The World War II airbase, RAF Lossiemouth, in Scotland, is facing closure in light of the recent Strategic Defence Security Review. Built between 1938 and 1939, No 15 Flying Training School began operating from Lossiemouth in April 1939. Originally housing Oxfords and Harvards, these made way to accommodate Bomber Command in April 1940, when No […]
Nazi war criminal ‘Beast of Bolzano’ dies
Michael Seifert, a Nazi war criminal known as the ‘Beast of Bolzano’, has died aged 86 in an Italian hospital, where he was serving a life sentence. The Ukrainian-born Seifert became a Nazi prison guard following German occupation. After the war ended, he moved to Canada in 1951 to start anew, leaving his past behind. […]
Gas Mask: a cultural icon
UCL’s Gabe Moshenska muses on the extraordinary iconic significance of the gas mask. My particular object of interest is the ‘General Civilian Respirator’ issued to the British people in the lead up to the Second World War. This ubiquitous mass-produced object has come to symbolise life in Home Front Britain, even though it was never […]
The 5 Bloodiest Battles in History
Every victory comes at a price. Here we look at the staggering cost of human life in five of history’s fiercest confrontations where the sheer number of warrior-dead defies imagination. Much of a soldier’s life is spent awaiting and preparing for war. When the moment to take action does come, it is usually bloody, confusing, […]
Battle of Marathon Myths Challenged
New thought sees Marathon get revised in the long run. New perspectives on the Battle of Marathon are beginning to challenge the accepted versions of events. Often, due to contradictory documentary evidence, details are still greatly contested. Military Times examines a selection of the most notable aspects surrounding the ancient battle, including Pheidippides’ long distance journey which gave […]
Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Cunningham
Admiral of the Fleet Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope Andrew Browne Cunningham described by his biographer, John Winton, as ‘the greatest admiral since Nelson’, was born in 1883. He entered the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1897, and during the First World War commanded three destroyers with verve and distinction, earning himself a DSO and […]
The Somme Revised: New Interpretations
A new generation of historians is challenging the old perception of the First World War as pointless carnage. As against the image conjured by war poets, radical historians, and much popular literature, the ‘revisionists’ argue that battles like the Somme represent ‘a necessary sacrifice’. The revisionist argument 1. The ‘lions led by donkeys’ stereotypes of […]
Strategic Defence Review: A Strategic Shock?
So now we know. After the months of bickering, inter-service infighting, and leaks, the strategic defence and security has finally been unveiled
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