When the Great War began for Britain, August 4th, 1914, the British Army was recognisably the one described so affectionately in the works of Rudyard Kipling. It was ridiculously small – scarcely 450,000 men, including reservists – by comparison with the millions-strong levies being mobilised by France, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. But Kipling’s army was […]
The Great Pandemic
As we commemorate Armistice Day, Vanessa Lafaye looks back on the devastating fallout of the First World War – and the unseen enemy waiting in the wings. With the cruelest of ironies, even as the Armistice bells were ringing in every town and village, another attack was under way. The enemy wore no uniform, was invisible […]
Historia Interviews: Chris Moore
We talk to Chris Moore about his HWA Goldsboro Debut Crown shortlisted novel, The Hoarse Oaths of Fife. The HWA Goldsboro Debut Crown celebrates new voices in historical fiction. Have you always been interested in history? Always. My dad was one of those guys who stops in the street to gawk every time he comes […]
The Somme 1916 – From Both Sides of the Wire
About two thirds of the way through the first episode of The Somme 1916 – From Both Sides of the Wire (BBC2; six parts starting 18 July; prod/dir: Alastair Laurence) there is a sequence which could stand as a paradigm of what can be done with history on television. Peter Barton stands in the field […]
Historia Interviews: Steven Knight
With a cast that reads like Hollywood movie credits, a score like a 6 Music playlist and suits as sharp as razor blades, gangster drama Peaky Blinders packs a trendsetting punch. Since it first hit our screens in 2013 the nation has fallen for Tommy Shelby and his charismatic family. Birmingham has a new hero. […]
Juliet West watches Testament of Youth
Determined, ambitious and highly intelligent, Vera Brittain was a disappointment to her parents. Alarmed by her bookishness and desire to study at Oxford, their tactic was to buy her a grand piano in the hope that this would persuade her to behave like a proper young lady and become, eventually, somebody’s wife. The arrival of […]
The Cello from the Trenches
Of all the tales told during this year’s centenary commemoration of the First World War, the most thought-provoking, for me, is the story behind this box. At first sight, it’s just an oblong box made of rough old wood – an ammunition box painted with the colours of the Royal Sussex Fusilliers regiment. But open […]