The past is never dead, it isn’t even past
It is remarkable that, when facing tragedy and devastation and against all odds, there are individuals out there able to discover inner strength and emerge victorious on the other side. Corie Mapp is one such individual and his book Black Ice is the account of his...
Napoleon's Hat Joseph J Sullivan’s 1888 music hall song poses a question that has been asked by auction houses around the work since 1815, albeit that the enquiry invariably refers to one specific model of ‘tile’: that worn by Napoléon from 1800, shortly after he...
On 31st January 2010, Trooper Corie Mapp of The Life Guards was driving his armoured vehicle on combat operations in Afghanistan when it ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The explosion that followed caused him massive injuries. But this was not the end of...
In the course of reading for review (and pleasure) Saul David’s latest and most excellent book, SBS: Silent Warriors, the first authorised account of the famous amphibious commando unit, I realised that, although I was born three years after the end of the events...
The Homicidal Earl: The Life of Lord Cardigan Of all the cock-ups that provide shade from the bright light of Britain’s military successes, the Charge of the Light Brigade during the Battle of Balaclava, fought in the Crimea on 25th October 1854, is one of the most...
As town and cities go, Bath – despite having been home until recently to several Ministry of Defence establishments - is known for its waters, its social history and its architecture rather than its bellicosity. There is no military museum in Bath and, when it came to...
There is an oft told story of an elderly Garrick member surveying the Club’s notice board. On spotting the summer reciprocal hospitality list he saw that the Guards Club had joined the usual list of clubs whose members the Garrick welcomed over the holidays. “Oh,...
On 21st October 1805, William Holburne, one of Bath’s greatest benefactors, was an eleven-year old Midshipman on board HMS Orion, which was about to join battle with the French Fleet off Cape Trafalgar. As Holburne’s ship closed with the enemy battleship, Intrepide,...
What first attracted you to the period or periods you work in? I write about subjects and periods of history that interest me – and only those. To be specific, I am intrigued by the period post-Waterloo to the 1950s and, in particular, the ‘small wars of Empire’. On...
Marengo 's Hooves. In its long history, the Horse Guards building has been the venue for many historical events including, most recently, one on the afternoon of Saturday 24th September 2016. The backstory of this latest event starts on the night of 24th August, 1799,...
