Alec Marsh writes about the licensed brothels used by British troops in France during the First World War. They’re part of the background to his new novel, Cut and Run. One of the surprising and little known things about the Great War was the involvement, to a degree at least, of the British state in […]
Cut and Run by Alec March
March, 1916, and the Great War rages across Europe. In the British Army garrison town of Bethune in northern France, a woman’s body is found in a park. Her throat has been cut. Marie-Louise Toulon is a prostitute at the Blue Lamp, the brothel catering exclusively to officers of the British Army stationed in the […]
The Paris Peacemakers by Flora Johnston
1919 in Paris. And as the guns fall silent, people attempt to start afresh while the fabric of Europe is stitched together for good or ill. Stella Rutherford, desperate to staunch her grief, has thrown herself into her work at the International Peace Conference, while the crucial negotiations play out. Her sister Corran is also […]
A Cheesemonger’s Tour de France by Ned Palmer
Charles de Gaulle famously said it was impossible to govern a country with 246 different cheeses. And perhaps he was right. Every French cheese carries an essence of the place where it’s made — its history, identity and landscape. Sometimes that’s a physical thing, as the hard texture of Comté echoes its rugged Alpine home. […]
Courting the Sun by Peggy Joque Williams
France, 1670. On her 16th birthday, Sylvienne d’Aubert thinks her dream has come true. She holds in her hands an invitation from King Louis XIV to attend his royal court. However, her mother harbours a long-time secret she’s kept from both her daughter and the monarch, a secret that could upend Sylvienne’s life. In Paris, […]
The Hundred Years’ War – a novel approach
David Gilman, whose acclaimed Master of War novels are set during the Hundred Years’ War, looks at the early years of the long-drawn-out conflict between England and France and how real events helped shape his books. Family arguments can stir up trouble and sometimes go beyond a family member not being invited to the next […]
The Siege of Calais
The historian Dan Jones looks at the “gripping” story of the Siege of Calais in 1347, which has had little attention from English historians. It’s part of the background to his new book, Wolves of Winter. In front of the town hall in Calais today stands a magnificent sculpture by Auguste Rodin. It depicts six […]
Ten fascinating facts about the Knights Templar
The Knights Templar: powerful, dedicated, richer than kings, they were legendary even during their own existence. And many myths about them have flourished in the seven centuries since they were suppressed. Boyd and Beth Morrison, this month’s guest contributors, are the authors of The Last Templar. They share some of the fascinating facts they learned […]