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Showing 161 - 180 of 2110 items
By Johanna Annola, Hanna Lindberg, Pirjo Markkola. 2024
This open access book focuses on institutions that were produced and formed by the emerging welfare state. How were institutions…
experienced by the people who interacted with them? How did institutions as sites of experience shape and structure people’s everyday lives? Histories of institutions have mainly focused on the structures and power relations produced by institutional settings. Likewise, despite an extensive historiography of the welfare state, reflections on individuals’ experiences of welfare are few. By using ‘lived institutions’ as its conceptual frame, this edited collection merges the fields of institutional studies, the history of the welfare state – and the novel and vibrant field of the history of experience.By Jon Sutherland, Diane Canwell. 2011
Working with prestigious archives of contemporary photographs, the authors chart the history of Britain's farming heritage with 120 rarely seen…
photographs. Nearly eleven thousand years ago humans moved away from hunting and gathering and began to raise livestock and plant crops. Our nostalgia for the way the countryside had been is an enduring passion. Ultimately mechanization began to replace more traditional forms of farming, and the Industrial Revolution was drawing more and more people away from the fields. Photography emerged at a crucial time when farming tasks could be done with a speed and on a scale previously unimaginable. Farming history has been driven by experimentation, innovation, and invention. The 19th century was one of those times marked by such change. This book looks at that pivotal period in history after which the British countryside would never be the same.By James W. Bancroft. 2017
The Crimean War saw the introduction of the Victoria Cross, which was awarded to 111 men. Whilst the history of…
the Crimean War has been related many times, never before have the stories of those individuals who were awarded the VC been told. In this, the result of four decades of accumulated research, renowned historian James Bancroft describes who the men were, how they gained the Victoria Cross, and what happened to them afterwards. Great attention has been given to checking the correct spelling of the names of people and locations, burial places and new memorials, and dates of awards and promotions. The author has made every effort to contact museums and other establishments to get up-to-date information on the whereabouts of medals and their accessibility. The men recorded here displayed valor and determination resulting in many deeds of exceptional courage which became a regular occurrence in the illustrious annals of the British Army. Among them are heroes who had the guts to put themselves in mortal danger by picking up live shells that could have exploded and blown them apart at any moment, gallant troopers who took part in a cavalry charge that they knew was doomed before it began and they were about to be cut to pieces, and valiant individuals who had the audacity to sneak into unknown territory to take the conflict into the enemys back yard and risk capture and ill-treatment. This account of the fascinating lives of these heroes is accompanied with forty-five portraits.By Brian Best. 2018
It was not just the searing heat of the day, hot enough to boil an egg on the bonnet of…
a lorry, or the sand that nestled in every crevice of the body, or the shivering cold of the starlit nights, that the British and Commonwealth troops had to battle in the North African desert it was also the tough and determined Axis forces under their brilliant leader, Erwin Rommel.The actions which resulted in the awarding of twenty-nine VCs in the Desert War included that of stretcher bearer Private Anderson walking alone into the gunfire of the enemy to rescue wounded comrades, not once, but time and time again until he too was shot and killed. Lieutenant George Gunn, who, at Sidi Rezegh, found his troop of the Royal Horse Artillery facing the onslaught of sixty German tanks. One by one the guns were put out of action, the crews killed or wounded. Eventually, only one gun was left, manned by the twenty-nine-year-old lieutenant and his sergeant. Regardless of the odds, Gunn fought on until he too was killed, shot through the head.The fighting in North Africa was not just in the harsh extremes of the rolling desert, but also the barren mountains of Tunisia, and the coastal strips of Libya. In every battle, every maneuver, the terrain was the limiting or enabling feature and it was over that unforgiving ground that twenty-nine men distinguished themselves and were awarded the highest of all gallantry medals, the Victoria Cross.By Mike Fletcher. 2005
The Making of Wigan summarises the evolution, and highlights the significant changes, in one of Lancashires most important towns, from…
Roman origins through to modern times. Tribute is paid to the resilience and determination of Wiganers in time of adversity, particularly during the English Civil War and when dealing with the Trauma of two World Wars.The towns prosperity and economy expanded during much of the nineteenth century, helped by coal and cotton, but also saw mixed fortunes, as Wigan experienced poverty and unemployment alongside the decline of its traditional industries. In more recent years Wigan has been transformed into a modern urban centre, but remains proud of its history.The book details the developments of the towns transport systems, local collieries with working conditions, strikes, accidents and mining developments all included. Also covered is the history of Wigans cotton history and the many changes to the town centre buildings and the leisure and recreation activities available to locals. Wigans involvement in the English Civil War and in both World Wars is covered along with Jacobite Rebellions.By Jonathan Sutherland, Diane Canwell. 2011
At the beginning of World War II the French faced the German invasion with 4,360 modern combat aircraft and 790…
new machines currently arriving from French and American factories each month. When the phony war finally ended, some 119 of 210 squadrons were ready for action on the north-eastern front. The others were reequipping or stationed in the French colonies. Of the 119 squadrons France could bring into action only one-fourth of the aircraft were battle-ready.With France overrun by June 1940, what remained of the French air force was either concentrated in the unoccupied zone or had been hastily redeployed to the colonies. Nonetheless, in retaliation for the British attack on the French fleet in Oran, French bombers, based in French Morocco, carried out retaliatory air raids over Gibraltar. The Arme de l'Air de Vichy was born and would fight to the best of its ability against the Free Frenchs allies in theatres as distant as north-west Africa, Syria, Lebanon, Madagascar and the Far East. Not only would they take to the skies against the British and later the Americans, they would also willingly take part in aerial duels against Free French pilots.Only a handful of books have been written on French aircraft, but never has there been a complete history of the operations of the Vichy Air Force and its fratricidal war. This title literally spans the globe, examining forgotten air combats. It is also important to note that many of the Vichy pilots that survived the air combats later volunteered to join the Free French and would fight with great courage and distinction alongside the very pilots that they had been trying to kill.rnrnThis book describes all major theatres of combat, examines the aircraft flown and lengthy appendices cover operational units, victory credits and the Aronautique Navale.By Stephen Wade. 2002
"Aspects of Huddersfield, the first in the highly successful Aspects series to feature Huddersfield and district, contains a wealth of…
pinpoint detail of the history of the town. The story of the coming of the ""wireless"" to Moorside Edge, which made Huddersfield the radio centre for Northern England, sits alongside the proceedings of the Manorial Court at the Manor of Honley in the 18th and 19th centuries. A fascinating collection of the Legends of the Colne Valley, sits easily with Early Days in the Mill and the Diary of an Unknown. A tale of courtship in the mid 1920s. While the Chartists went ""The Whole Hog"" in Huddersfield, Mrs Sunderland became the ""Yorkshire Queen of Song"", a feat still recognised in an annual music festival in her name. Aspects of Huddersfield cannot but enthrall both the dedicated researcher and the general reader with an interest in the town and its environs."By Stuart A. Raymond. 2012
“Almost every book on English research highlights the need to examine the wills of our ancestors. . . . [this book] gives us…
an easy to read detailed guide.” —FGS ForumWhat are wills, and how can they be used for family and local history research? How can you interpret them and get as much insight from them as possible? Wills are key documents for exploring the lives of our ancestors, their circumstances, and the world they knew. This practical handbook is the essential guide to understanding wills.Wills expert Stuart Raymond traces the history and purpose of probate records and guides readers through the many pitfalls and possibilities these fascinating documents present. He describes the process of probate, gives a detailed account of the content of the various different types of record, and advises readers on how they can be used to throw light into the past, offering factual evidence that no genealogist or local historian can afford to ignore.In a series of concise, fact-filled chapters, Raymond explains how wills came into being, who made them and how they were made, how the probate system operates, how wills and inventories can be found, and how much can be learned from them. In addition to covering probate records in England and Wales, he includes the Channel Islands, Ireland, the Isle of Man and Scotland.This introduction is aimed primarily at family historians who are interested in the wills of particular individuals who are seeking proof of descent and local historians who are interested in the wealth of local historical information that can be gathered from them.By Tim Thorton. 2009
Changing Barnsley looks at how Barnsley has evolved, through the eyes of the former Mining and Technical College on Church…
Street, which now hosts Barnsley's very own University. Covering the 75 years of its existence, it tracks the period from 1932, when the building was first built, until 2007, when the University was fully up and running.Built along the northern side of the Town Hall in 1932, on Church Street, the Building which now houses Barnsley's very own University has been at the centre of education in Barnsley since its construction.As the mining industry became more regulated and professional, the building originally started life as a mining college, training and equipping Barnsley's workforce with the necessary skills to work in the coal industry.With the demise of coalmining and the broadening of Barnsley's industries, it became a technical college, focussing on a more general education.Now as the industrial heritage has faded and the regeneration of Barnsley has been implemented, the conversion of the building into a University, to provide Higher Education to Barnsley is an important step in raising aspirations and equipping Barnsley with the skills for the future.This books tells the history of this building, the people that have used it and the skills they have gained.By Stuart Reid. 2014
Sheriffmuir 1715 is the military history of a doomed Jacobite rising in Scotland, which enjoyed far more public support and…
arguably far more chance of success than Bonnie Prince Charlie's attempt 30 years later. Unlike the '45, the uprising which culminated in the brutal battle of Sheriffmuir was very much a Scottish affair, fought without either French troops or assistance, and unashamedly aimed at reversing the hated Union with England and re-asserting Scotland's independence.However, in this lively new study by acclaimed military historian Stuart Reid, a completely fresh look is taken at the campaign, while the battle is reassessed in the light of a thorough knowledge of the ground and the armies which fought there.By John Dixon. 2009
The book is a detailed account of the fighting around Ypres during April and May 1915. It is essentially a…
day-by-day record of the Second Battle of Ypres which draws heavily upon personal accounts, regimental histories and war diaries to present a comprehensive study of the battle in which Germany became the first nation to use poisonous gas as a weapon. Each phrase of the battle (the Battle of Gravenstafel; the Battle of St. Julien; the Battle of Frezenberg Ridge and the Battle of Bellewarde Ridge) is discussed in detail with maps and photographs where appropriate. the main text is accompanied by a number of appendices including officer casualties; Victoria Cross winners and the British Order of Battle for Hill 60 and the Second Battle of Ypres.By Jenny Loveridge, Sue Wilson. 2001
The Aspects series takes readers on a voyage of nostalgic discovery through their town, city or area. This best selling…
series has now arrived, for the first time, in Lancaster. Susan Wilson offers the chance for readers to explore the historical interest created within Lancaster.We look at Catholicism in Lancaster and District and The story of 'The Moor', Lancaster's County Lunatic Asylum. Shivers down your spine can be felt as you experience A Spirited Leap into the Unknown and Lancaster Castle and the Fate of the Lancaster Witches. Aspects of Medicine can also be found in The Lancaster Doctors: Three Case Studies. All these and much more, of Lancaster's history, has been captivated in Aspects of Lancaster.This new volume is intended to present a global vision of the development of the world's battleships. In a collection…
of chapters by international, the design, building, and career of a significant battleship from each of the world's navies is explored that illuminates not just the ships but also the communities of officers and individuals that served in them and, more broadly, the societies and nations that built them. Each chapter explains the origins of a ship, her importance as a national symbol, and her place in the fleet. This is a highly original and significant book on the great capital ships of the world.By Irmgard A. Hunt. 2005
A German woman recounts her youth during World War II under Hitler’s regime in this “richly texture memoir” (Publishers Weekly).Growing…
up in the beautiful mountains of Berchtesgaden—just steps from Adolf Hitler’s alpine retreat—Irmgard Hunt had a seemingly happy, simple childhood. In her powerful, illuminating, and sometimes frightening memoir, Hunt recounts a youth lived under an evil but persuasive leader. As she grew older, the harsh reality of war—and a few brave adults who opposed the Nazi regime—aroused in her skepticism of National Socialist ideology and the Nazi propaganda she was taught to believe in.In May 1945, an eleven-year-old Hunt watched American troops occupy Hitler’s mountain retreat, signaling the end of the Nazi dictatorship and World War II. As the Nazi crimes began to be accounted for, many Germans tried to deny the truth of what had occurred; Hunt, in contrast, was determined to know and face the facts of her country’s criminal past.On Hitler’s Mountain is more than a memoir—it is a portrait of a nation that lost its moral compass. It is a provocative story of a family and a community in a period and location in history that, though it is fast becoming remote to us, has important resonance for our own time.By Nick Papdimitriou. 2009
Stories of death and villainy will always hold us in their grim but thrilling grip. In Foul Deeds and Suspicious…
Deaths in Barnet the chill is brought close to home as each chapter investigates the dark side of humanity in cases of murder, deceit and pure malice committed over the centuries in this area of north London. For this journey into the sinister side of the past, Nick Papadimitriou has chosen over 20 notorious cases that give a fascinating insight into criminal acts and the criminal mind. Among the crimes he recalls are Elizabethan murders, highway robbery on Finchley Common, the violence of the Black-Hand Gang in Victorian times, the famous East Finchley Baby Murder of 1903, the Hendon Wine Shop Murder of 1919, the Edgware girl who was thrown under a tube train in 1939, and the shocking execution of murderer Daniel Raven in 1949.The human dramas Nick Papadimitriou describes are often played out in the most commonplace of circumstances, but others are so odd as to be stranger than fiction. His grisly chronicle of the hidden history of Barnet will be compelling reading for anyone who is interested in the dark side of human nature.The most notorious, and most contentious, cavalry charge in history still remains an enigma. Though numerous books have been written…
about the charge, all claiming to reveal the truth or to understand the reason why; exactly what happened at Balaklava on 25 October 1854 continues to be fiercely debated. Voices from the Past, The Charge of the Light Brigade relives that fateful day not through the opinions of such historians but from the words of those that were there. This is the story of the charge told by the soldiers of both sides, in the most detailed description of the Battle of Balaklava yet written. Gallop with the light dragoons and lancers into the mouths of the Russian cannon as the shells and cannonballs decimate their ranks. Read of the desperate efforts to return down the Valley of Death as the enemy pressed around the remnants of the Light Brigade, and of the nine Victoria Crosses won that day.Possibly more significant are the accusations and counter-arguments that followed the loss of the Light Brigade. Just who was responsible for that terrible blunder? The leading figures all defended their own positions, leading to presentations in Parliament and legal action. Yet one of those senior figures made an astonishing admission immediately after the battle, only to change his story when the charge became headline news. Just who was it that made the fatal error that cost the British Army its Light Brigade?By Brian Elliot. 2002
The Aspects series takes the readers on a voyage of nostalgic discovery through their town, city or area. Following on…
from the success of Aspects of Barnsley 6, the series continues with Aspects of Barnsley 7. Brian Elliott offers the reader a chance to become re-acquainted with the forgotten by-ways of the social history in the Barnsley area. Aspects of Barnsley 7 contains a well researched and readable history from a variety of experienced and new authors. The topics include personal accounts of local businesses such as Needham Brothers and Station Taxis; Memories of a Barnsley Childhood by an American Resident; Excerpts from Royston School log Books; Johnny Westons Monk Bretton; New Insight Concerning 2 Worsborough Collieries; Some Characters of Old Darfield; Postcards from Barnsley; and The Ancient Place-Names of the Barnsley Metropolitan Borough. All of these are captivated with fantastic illustrations, in Aspects of Barnsley 7.The first volume of the expansive Pulitzer Prize-winning series The Story of Civilization. Discover a history of civilization in Egypt…
and the Near East to the Death of Alexander, and in India, China, and Japan from the beginning; with an introduction on the nature and foundations of civilization.By Molly Guptill Manning. 2014
This New York Times bestselling account of books parachuted to soldiers during WWII is a &“cultural history that does much…
to explain modern America&” (USA Today). When America entered World War II in 1941, we faced an enemy that had banned and burned 100 million books. Outraged librarians launched a campaign to send free books to American troops, gathering 20 million hardcover donations. Two years later, the War Department and the publishing industry stepped in with an extraordinary program: 120 million specially printed paperbacks designed for troops to carry in their pockets and rucksacks in every theater of war.These small, lightweight Armed Services Editions were beloved by the troops and are still fondly remembered today. Soldiers read them while waiting to land at Normandy, in hellish trenches in the midst of battles in the Pacific, in field hospitals, and on long bombing flights. This pioneering project not only listed soldiers&’ spirits, but also helped rescue The Great Gatsby from obscurity and made Betty Smith, author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, into a national icon.&“A thoroughly engaging, enlightening, and often uplifting account . . . I was enthralled and moved.&” — Tim O&’Brien, author of The Things They Carried &“Whether or not you&’re a book lover, you&’ll be moved.&” — Entertainment WeeklyBy Glenda Goulden. 2010
Disasters are part of our national history and some were so terrible in their consequences, like the Black Death, the…
Great Fire of London and the Blitz, that they have come to define an era. In regional history, too, they have had an extraordinary effect, and this is the theme of Glenda Gouldens gripping book. From the long history of East Anglia she has selected those disasters that have had the deepest impact and reconstructed them in telling detail. The episodes she recounts were remarkable when they occurred, and they have a grim fascination for us today. She chronicles fires and explosions, the collapse of buildings and bridges, lethal accidents at sea and on the roads and railways, and tragedies resulting from enemy action and acts of God.