It seems like only last week that I was spruiking a podcast appearance — actually, it was last month, which is also not very long ago! This time it was on the History of the Second World War podcast with Wesley Livesay, chatting about the German air raids on Britain of the First World War […]
In September 1909, rather late in Invasion‘s run, an article appeared in Pearson’s Weekly explaining not only some of the pyrotechnical mechanics behind the spectacle, but also the underlying airpower theory. Because it was not merely an popular entertainment and a commercial one at that, but a response to the question ‘Invasion by aeroplane, is
This photo, according to the Illustrated London News, shows ‘THE FIRST SHELL DISCHARGED FROM AN AEROPLANE OVER ENGLAND’.((Illustrated London News, 12 June 1909, 7. Another version of the same photo appears in Daily Mirror (London), 5 June 1909, 4.)) But it doesn’t really, because the ‘aeroplane’ almost certaintly wasn’t real but a non-flying mock-up strung
A little while ago I was privileged to be part of a discussion on the Stories from the Space Between podcast with Rinni Haji Amran and Luke Seaber, and hosted by Michael McCluskey, on the idea of, yes, airmindedness. Michael and Luke edited Aviation in the Literature and Culture of Interwar Britain, to which Rinni
While you’re waiting for me to write Home Fires Burning, here are some other books (mostly) on the same topic, whether wholly or in substantial part. This is not meant to be in any way a comprehensive list; it’s merely what I have found to be most useful. I’ve included links to out-of-copyright/open access versions,
Last night I had my first full-on anxiety dream about nuclear war since the 1980s. As ICBM trails arced across the blue sky overhead, I ran for the safety of a nearby shelter — and confirmed that the Third World War had started by getting out my phone to check my social media feeds. Of
So I’m writing a book. Why? There are already many histories of the German air raids on Britain in the First World War: in my proposal, I listed eleven published since the 1980s alone, and even that is hardly exhaustive. Many of these are excellent — Ian Castle’s books, in particular, are required reading on
I am delighted to announce that I have signed an advance contract with Cambridge University Press((Founded in 1534. Just sayin’…)) to publish my next book, currently entitled Home Fires Burning: Emotion, Spectacle, and Britain’s First War from the Air, in their Studies in the Social and Cultural History of Modern Warfare series. Here’s a one
CALL FOR PAPERS EXTENDEDNew Deadline: 13th March 2022Aviation Cultures Mk.VI: Connecting the Regions Didn’t have time to get your proposal in? Don’t worry! We are excited by the submissions we have received and invite others – experts, professionals, academics, and practitioners – to discuss the impact aviation has had throughout the regions at the local and global level. The Aviation Cultures Mk.VI
It’s time for a new bot! Unlike my Trove bots, this one isn’t useful or even historical; it’s just for fun. @TTAships tweets out an image of a spaceship (mostly), once(ish) a day.
