Oliver Webb-Carter
Nelson: Hero of the Seas, by Dominic Sandbrook
Dominic Sandbrook’s latest entry to his Adventures in Time series, aimed at younger readers, is perhaps his best yet.
Nelson: Hero of the Seas, by Dominic Sandbrook On 24 September 1805, Admiral Horatio Nelson was waiting for an audience with Lord Castlereagh, Secretary for War and the Colonies, at the Colonial Office. In the assembly room with him was Sir Arthur Wellesley, who had...
Film Club 32
The Siege: The Remarkable Story of the Greatest SAS Hostage Drama, by Ben Macintyre
Macintyre has an extraordinary ability to find new things in this well-known event.
At 19:07 on Monday 5th May 1980, the Metropolitan Police passed control of the Iranian Embassy siege to Lt. Col Mike Rose, commanding officer of the Special Air Service. Operation Nimrod was underway, as members of B Squadron abseiled, shot or blasted their way into...
Film Club 31
The Plaster Saints, by David Roy
With richly drawn characters and a brisk narrative, The Plaster Saints earns its place among the novels of the Troubles.
Novels set during the Troubles have done well in recent years. Whether it’s the Booker Prize winning Milkman by Anna Burns or Michael Hughes’ re-interpretation of the Iliad with Country, writers have found new ways to deal with a hugely traumatic time in British and...
Film Club 30
In Memorium: The Victoria Cross & George Cross at the IWM
The Lord Ashcroft Gallery is closing down and our editor returned for a last look.
The music in my ears was Elgar’s Nimrod and Tallis’ Fantasia theme by Vaughan Williams. The sun was absent, hidden behind a cloudy sky as the giant 15 inch naval guns pointed towards the heavens and I arrived in the gardens of the Imperial War Museum. With a sense of...
Film Club 29
My IWM: Helen Lederer
The comedienne and actress has a remarkable family backstory.
The Imperial War Museum has started a series of events to coincide with the unveiling of the new Second World War Galleries at their London headquarters. Celebrities (and two experts) take visitors on a tour of how their families contributed to World War Two, and so...