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John McKay

Birds of Prey, by Philip W. Blood

Birds of Prey, by Philip W. Blood

A little known history that finally puts to bed the assumption that it was only Nazis who carried out killings during the Holocaust.

Birds of Prey, by Philip W. Blood The Bialowieźa forest, in Poland and Belarus, is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. The forest is full of interesting plant life and a wide range of wildlife including wolves, wild boar, deer and European bison. No wonder then, that...

Normandy: The Sailors’ Story by Nick Hewitt

Normandy: The Sailors’ Story by Nick Hewitt

A tour de force and, importantly, thoroughly enjoyable.

When one thinks of D-Day, June 6th 1944, the first images that spring to mind are of brave soldiers disembarking landing craft and rushing onto the beaches to face the machine-guns of the defending Germans. Films, such as Saving Private Ryan and The Longest Day have...

The Convoy, by Angus Konstam

The Convoy, by Angus Konstam

One convoy during the Battle of the Atlantic provides for an entertaining read.

Many history books can be somewhat daunting to take on. Too many players, too broad a scope, too many maps or diagrams; these can all add to the reader losing focus, having to constantly flick back and forth between pages to get a full grasp of what the author is...

Angus Konstam on The Convoy

Angus Konstam on The Convoy

Historian of the Arctic Convoys John McKay met up with Angus Konstam to discuss his new book, The Convoy.
John McKay

Angus Konstam, many congrats on the book. What inspired you to write The Convoy? Thanks! It was really enjoyable to write. A few years ago I read a short article about it written by Mal Wright, an Australian naval historian. It really piqued my interest, as I’d been...

Operation Codicil

Operation Codicil

A new novel follows the Paras during the Second World War, starting with D-Day and ending with the crossing of the Rhine.

Operation Codicil, is the first instalment of The Manner of Men series – which is to be a three-part series based on the Parachute Regiment in the Second World War. The series will follow a group of elite pathfinders from D-Day until war’s end, where they see action...

The Vercors Uprising, July 1944

The Vercors Uprising, July 1944

When the French Resistance launched a brave assault on the Nazi and Vichy regimes.

At 23:15 hours on 5 June 1944, a broadcast was made from the BBC in London. It was the second part of the poem Chanson d’Automne - “Blessent mon coeur, d’une langueur, monotone” (“wound my heart with a monotonous languor”). Upon hearing this, Resistance leaders in...

Episode 135

John McKay

The award winning novelists discusses history and his inspiration.
John McKay

John McKay, what prompted you to choose the period that you wrote your first book in? I have been interested in the two world wars from an early age. I used to read Battle Comic and collected the Commando graphic books as a child. My interest grew with the more I read...

The Arctic Convoys

The Arctic Convoys

An often forgotten theatre of war was the Arctic, when Royal & Merchant Navy convoys braved the conditions, and enemy, to supply Russian allies.
John McKay

There are many images of World War Two that have come to be ingrained in the modern psyche. When one thinks of the war, images such as those of British soldiers forming lines on the Dunkirk beaches as they wait patiently to be evacuated to England; American and...

Episode 135

John McKay

John McKay served in the Royal Air Force for seven years before pursuing a career in the Fire and Rescue Service. He lives in Wigan, Lancashire, with his wife, Dawn. He has two grown-up daughters and one granddaughter.With a huge interest in all things World Wars One and Two, John took up writing a few years ago, finally embarking on an ambition he had held for years. This has led to an interest in the Arctic convoys of World War Two and him completing the wartime memoir of a veteran of the voyages, Charlie Erswell (Surviving The Arctic Convoys, The Wartime Memoir of Leading Seaman Charlie Erswell, Pen & Sword, 2021).
John McKay

Books Click on any of the books covers below to either buy or get more information on AmazonArticles Click on the links below to read the full article[dpdfg_filtergrid custom_query="advanced" use_taxonomy_terms="on" multiple_taxonomies="name_of_author"...