This is a true story of a force of ”licensed to kill" secret agents, commanded by a real war time secret service chief code names M, with whom Ian Fleming worked, and upon whom his James Bond stories were based. Brigadier Colin Gubbins was M, the Special Operations Executive was his Secret Service, Professor Dudley Newitt was Q and Captain Gus...

She was the daughter of an alcoholic Isle of Wight smuggler. Much of her childhood was spent in the island’s workhouse. Yet Sophie Dawes threw off the shackles of her downbeat formative years to become one of the most talked-about personalities in post-revolutionary France. It was the ultimate rags to riches story which would see her become the mistress...

‘I plant a fig, I plant a gift. For children, for the coming generations.’ When the Emperor Hadrian gallops into the village, its inhabitants hide in fear. All except one. An old man, almost one hundred years old, comes outside to plant a fig tree. Hadrian stops his horse. ‘What are you doing?’ he asks the old man. ‘That tree is so small and you are...

When Sophia Dorothea of Celle married her first cousin, the future King George I, she was an unhappy bride. Filled with dreams of romance and privilege, she hated the groom she called “pig snout” and wept at news of her engagement. In the austere court of Hanover, the vibrant young princess found herself ignored and unwanted. Bewildered by dusty protocol...

As the only child of the Prince Regent and Caroline of Brunswick, Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796-1817) was the heiress presumptive to the throne. Her parents’ marriage had already broken up by the time she was born. She had a difficult childhood and a turbulent adolescence, but she was popular with the public, who looked to her to restore the good name...

The Anarchy was the first civil war in post-Conquest England, enduring throughout the reign of King Stephen between 1135 and 1154. It ultimately brought about the end of the Norman dynasty and the birth of the mighty Plantagenet kings. When Henry I died having lost his only legitimate son in a shipwreck, he had caused all of his barons to swear to recognize...

Before and after the outbreak of the Second World War, there were a number of sizable Fascist groups active in Britain, all of whom were working towards a violent uprising to overthrow the British government. These groups included The Right Club, led by Captain Jock Ramsey MP, Arnold Leese’s Imperial Fascist League and Sir Oswald Mosley’s British Union of...

Hugo De Pree was the cousin of the better-known Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig. However, De Pree had a distinguished military career in his own right. Educated at Eton and RMA Woolwich, De Pree grew up alongside Haig, primed for a career as a Regular officer. He served in the Boer War. He was sent to the Western Front, as Chief of Staff of IV Corps. In...

Ask somebody to give you the name of a woman from history and they’ll probably give you a queen’s. If not royalty, it’ll be a famous courtesan, a noblewoman, a rogue. Some women manage to be all four things at once. Take a look outside, however, and you’ll see a diverse range of women, all with their own set of experiences, preferences, feelings and...

This was the time of the Belgian Congo Debacle, where ethnic cleansing coincided with Stephen R. Matthew's first police posting near the Northern Rhodesia border with the Congo. During this time, and at just 21 years old, Stephen was knifed, ambushed, stoned, wounded by bow and arrow and shotgun and had his hand broken several times. Action-packed...

Neville Chamberlain has gone down in history as the architect of appeasement, the Prime Minister who by sacrificing Czechoslovakia at Munich in September 1938 put Britain on an inevitable path to war. In this radical new appraisal of the most vilified politician of the twentieth century, historian Nicholas Milton claims that by placating Hitler and...

Few schools can claim to have had such a deep and diverse effect on British history as Rugby. Its influence on the sporting field is well-known, but this book examines the roles played by Rugbeians in many different spheres during the Great War. Politicians and academics, Olympians and artists all left their ordinary lives to fight for their country and it...

‘You showed us all what a fantastic big brother you are!’ As Passover draws near, Eitan is excited about singing the Ma Nishtana - the Four Questions - as he does every year on Seder night. But the Ma Nishtana is supposed to be sung by the youngest at the Seder table and this year, to Eitan’s consternation, his little sister Libby finally thinks she is...

It is a sobering thought that until the closing years of the twentieth century, Britain’s courts were technically able to impose the death penalty for a number of offences; both civil and military. Although the last judicial hangings took place in 1964, the death penalty, in theory at least, remained for a number of offences. During the twentieth century...

For over ten years he was the first detective on the scene when a murder was committed in south London. In the confusion and horror of the crime scene he identified the forensic clues that would later be needed to convict the killer in the calm and measured atmosphere of the Old Bailey; calling out the necessary experts from pathologists to ballistics...

This book offers a whistle-stop guide to the history of spinning and weaving. The story begins in prehistory when people first wove yarns to create clothing and blankets. The book explores the ways in which spinning and weaving has continued to be important throughout human history (or should that be herstory), in artistic, economic and functional terms...

In the nineteenth century, as towns grew, Britain became increasingly grimy. The causes of dirt and pollution were defined legally as ‘nuisances’ and, in 1835, the new local authorities very rapidly appointed an army of ‘inspectors of nuisances’. This book is the inspectors’ chronicle: it offers their eye-witness accounts and a plethora of details...

The truth is that professional sport is a breeding ground for addictive behaviour. Luke Sutton is a business owner and successful agent to sporting stars such as James Taylor, Nile Wilson and Sam Quek, but his life didn't always look so positive. Back from the Edge reveals the huge ups and major downs that a professional career in sport can bring –...

Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes and Mary Jane Kelly are inextricably linked in history. Their names might not be instantly recognisable, and the identity of their murderer may have eluded detectives and historians throughout the years, but there is no mistaking the infamy of Jack the Ripper. For nine weeks during the...

How can you trace forebears who were patients in lunatic asylums and find out about their lives? What sources can you consult to discover their personal histories and gain an insight into their experiences? In this concise, accessible handbook, Michelle Higgs answers these questions. She provides a fascinating introduction to the subject and gives readers...