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"The Curse of the Elephant Man"
The 1980 film, 'The Elephant Man', starring John Hurt as the eponymous hero, was an excellent portrayal of the tragic life of Joseph Merrick who, tragically deformed by a medical condition, became an...
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Barbarity
Just as we look back aghast at the idea that human beings could take pleasure in watching Christians being torn apart by lions in the Roman amphitheatres, or watching others being guillotined following...
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August 4th 1914
On 4th August 1914, Britain entered the First World War. It is a matter of contention whether on not there was any reason to do so, for, although the invasion of Belgium is the cause that is always...
View ArticleThe Tragedy of Napoleon III
It's impossible not to admire the way in which Napoleon III held fast to a dream in the face of mockery, failure and disappointment. From his earliest years, he dreamed of emulating his uncle, Napoleon...
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Unrestricted Submarine Warfare
With the recent find of an intact World War 1 German U-boat with the bodies of the twenty-three man crew still inside, I am reminded again of the reasons why Germany resorted to unrestricted submarine...
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Thunder of Freedom
I am happy to announce that my new book - Thunder of Freedom: The British Suffragette Movement - is now available in Kindle & Paperback formats: For over forty years women had quietly campaigned...
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Murderesses In Victorian Britain
Which Victorian murderess inspired Thomas Hardy’s ‘Tess of the D’Urbevilles’? Who lived to regret her ‘deathbed’ confession? Was Amelia Dyer mad or wicked? Why did the judiciary look compassionately on...
View ArticleQueen Victoria's Murderous Wet Nurse
This truly is a tragic story and one that both horrified and amazed the people of Esher, who knew the murderess as a devoted mother...
View ArticleA Leeds Woolen Mill Before the First World War
Before my grandmother's death at the age of 98 in 1994, I made a recording of her memories of life in pre-WW1 Leeds. This was her memory of working in a woolen mill...
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The Death of Prince Leopold
On 28th March 1884, Queen Victoria's youngest son, the haemophiliac Prince Leopold, died in Cannes. From 'Queen Victorias Granddaughters': "Delighted by his little daughter, Leopold continued his...
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Reading during the Lockdown
As people might be looking for something different to read while being confined to the house, I am reducing the price of the Kindle version of this book to only $0.99 on 1st April. On 2nd April it will...
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The Silent Emperor - German Emperor Frederick III
On a bright summer’s day in June 1887, a procession of mounted kings and princes moved sedately through the streets of London in celebration of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Amid such illustrious...
View ArticleA Royal Love Story
I am surprised that this lovely story is not better known...a true account of an impoverished working woman, who met and married her handsome prince....
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Kaiser Wilhelm Honoured His Father
Due to propaganda, many people think that Wilhelm II tried to erase his father's memory, but this is far from the truth. At his behest, his father's anniversary and his birthday (and those of his...
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King Cetshwayo
I greatly admire and simultaneously feel sorry for King Cetshwayo - the King of the Zulus, whose well-disciplined and courageous soldiers inflicted a shocking defeat on the British at the Battle of...
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A Meeting of the Kaiser & the Tsar
On July 24th 1905, the Kaiser and the Tsar met aboard the Kaiser's yacht to sign the Treaty of Bjorko, agreeing to come to one another's aid if either country were attacked by more than one power....
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The Outbreak of World War I
Although Britain did not enter WW1 until 4th August 1914, the war began on 28th July. Contrary to popular opinion, it was not a war between Emperors, as the Emperors of Germany and Russia tried their...
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The Battle of Worth
On the 6th August 1870, the Prussian were victorious at the Battle of Worth. The Prussian Crown Prince, Frederick (Fritz) had just led his troops to victory at Weissenburg, but he: "...had neither the...
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King George's Menagerie
King George IV, like many of his contemporaries, developed an interest in exotic animals and created a large menagerie at Windsor. From 'Queen Victoria's Creatures':...
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Emperor Karl and his father, Archduke Otto
On 17th August 1887, the future Emperor Karl of Austria was born. He was the son of Franz Ferdinand's brother, 'the gorgeous Archduke' Otto, whose beauty was unfortunately only skin deep. Otto was a...
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Crown Prince Rudolf
The ill-fated Crown Prince Rudolf was born on 21st August 1858. Countess Larisch, writing after his death, rather dramatically described her first meeting with him. It sounds very melodramatic and...
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Shattered Crowns - The Scapegoats
“In the past,” Archduke Franz Ferdinand said, “I believed that kings and emperors made all the decisions for their people. Now, though, I see it very differently. For the most part, monarchs are...
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Murderesses in Victorian Britain Audiobook
Which Victorian murderess inspired Thomas Hardy’s "Tess of the D’Urbevilles"? Who lived to regret her "deathbed" confession? Was Amelia Dyer mad or wicked? Why did the judiciary look compassionately...
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