Eighteenth of June in British Military HistoryThree important events on this day: 1812: War declared between the UK and the USA. Britain, already embroiled in a long war with Napoleon Bonaparte, ended up in a silly little sideshow with the USA. Bonaparte's agents arguably provoked the war to... See More »
16th June - Quatre BrasThe 16th June 1815 saw the battle of Quatre Bras when Wellington and the French had a nasty little encounter with many casualties. It was a prelude to the more famous Waterloo but was bloody enough for anybody's taste. A strange, untidy encounter at... See More »
Euros start soonTwo teams to support this time: England and Scotland. I hope England go all the way and Scotland manage to go through the group stages. Come on, England!
12th of May. Another interesting date in British military history.May 12 1780- British capture Charleston South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War against rebels, French, Spanish, Dutch, Mysorians and Uncle Tom Cobley and all. May 12 1858 Battle of Sirsee Hope Grant defeats mutineers. Interesting man,... See More »
Anniversary of two battles todayOn the 11th May 1745, the French defeated the British at the Battle of Fontenoy during the War of the Austrian Succession. That was the first battle when Highland troops - the Black Watch - fought for the British crown in Europe. The French called... See More »
Phrases from the distant pastWhen I was young, very many years ago, my mum used to take me with her shopping and visiting people. If I misbehaved, or behaved less than perfectly, she had two phrases that compelled instant obedience. The first was: "Wait till I get you home!" The... See More »
Tunis: 1943On the 7th May, 1943, General Montgomery and the 8th Army captured Tunis. It had been a long advance from Egypt!
Remember the film Zulu? This picture shows the storehouse at Rorke's Drift, where one company of the 24th Foot held off 4,000 Zulus. Heroes all - on both sides of the battle. (1)
Anniversary of the Battle of CromdaleOne of the forgotten battles of the wars between William of Orange and James VII. The Haughs of Cromdale was a victory for the Williamites over a Jacobite army in the Highlands. There is a nonsense song about it, which has rollicking lyrics and no... See More »
Captain Penny of Aberdeen A whaling man and an explorer who took his wife with him. Unusual for the 19th century! (1)
Happy St George's DayHappy St George's Day, all you people out there. We don't make enough of our patron saint. Enjoy the day!
Teacher's sayingsWhen I was at school in the middle of last century, many of the teachers had their quirky sayings before, during or after they inflicted various forms of corporal punishment on their charges. One hearty man taught Maths and rugby. He was a large man,... See More »
On this day in military historyQuite a few military anniversaries today. Two from last century were the Battle of Avre in 1918, a British victory in the Great War of 1914-18, and the start of the Battle of Kohima in 1944. In many ways Kohima was to the Far East what El Alemein was... See More »
Anniversary of two battles todayApril the Second is the anniversary of at least two battles in which the British were successful. The Battle of Copenhagen, 1801, where Admiral Nelson defeated the Danes. That was the battle where Nelson placed a telescope against his blind eye and... See More »
battle of BetwaOn this day in 1858, the British defeated Tantia Topi in the Battle of Betwa, during the Indian Mutiny - or the Sepoy Revolt to use another name for what was probably the most bitter war of Queen Victoria's reign.
Islamic terrorismHave you noticed how Islamic terrorists seem to choose music festivals and the like to maximise their murders? We had the Manchester Arena, the Hammas atrocity in Israel in October last year and more recently Moscow. All attacks on innocent young... See More »
Easter MondayI wish everybody a happy Easter. Hopefully we will see an outbreak of peace across the world. No more Islamic terrorist attacks on music festivals. No more Russian attacks on Ukraine. An end to civilians being used as human shields. An end to all the... See More »
On this day in historyOn the 18th January 1793, Sydney Smith tried to destroy the French fleet at Toulon in one of the opening actions in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars that would last until 1815.
On this day in historyIn 1917, the British defeated the Ottoman Turks at the battle of Rafa. While much attention is paid to the fighting in France and Flanders, the Middle Eastern campaigns of the Great War are less well considered. With the present troubles in that... See More »
On this day in HistoryIn 1812, the Second Siege of Ciudad Rodrigo in the Peninsular War started. One siege in a long war that bled Bonaparte's army white. In 1815 the Battle of New Orleans, when one of the most incompetent generals in British history (and that's saying... See More »
On this day in historyOn the 7th January 1841, during the First Opium War, the British defeated the Chinese at the Battle of Chuenpi. Not one of Britain's proudest wars!
Historical Locations give different angles to historyI normally live in the south of England, but am presently right on the north east, at the Border with Scotland. The perspective of history here is vastly different from the south, with a different focus. I am in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which... See More »
Rewriting historyHistory is an amazingly fluid discipline. Each nation seems to write it with a bias towards themselves, and what is fashionable and therefore 'good' one century is vilified the next. It's fascinating to see the trends change by perusing old books.
