In the later 1930s, the 7th Marquess of Londonderry acquired the somewhat unkind nickname of the ‘Londonderry Herr’, a pun on the Londonderry Air (the tune to which ‘Danny Boy’ is usually set). This came about because he was thought to be rather too enthusiastic about the prospect of Anglo-German reconciliation. My impression is that […]
[Cross-posted at Cliopatria.] It’s Anzac Day once again. On Anzac Day, Australia remembers some things but forgets others. We remember the sacrifices of the original Anzacs at Gallipoli, but forget that it wasn’t only Australians who suffered. We remember the many thousands of young Australians who have fought in foreign wars since then, but forget
This is a BBC interview with Group Captain Robert Lister, recorded in 1980, about his experiences as a junior officer in 20 Squadron on the North-West Frontier. He transferred there in 1935, and flew Audaxes in air control operations against Waziri tribespeople, sometimes in support of the Army, sometimes independently. He candidly notes that the
The Boer War of 1899-1902 doesn’t often appear in airpower history. This may have something to do with the fact that it took place before the invention of the aeroplane, which I suppose is reasonable. But there are still interesting and even important connections and influences to be traced. Here are a baker’s half-dozen.
Military History Carnival #23 has been posted at The Edge of the American West and H-War. My eye was immediately drawn to a post (more of an article, really) on the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom at Sparta: Journal of Ancient Spartan and Greek History. This was a remnant of Alexander the Great’s conquests in central Asia in
Garry Campion. The Good Fight: Battle of Britain Propaganda and the Few. Basingstoke and New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. Looking forward to reading this book, which looks at looks at how the Battle of Britain and The Few were portrayed in the press, in official propaganda, plays, film, overseas, from the ground, etc. It even
The RAAF Museum, round 2. This time there was less time spent outside looking at aeroplanes in the air (above, see below) and more inside looking at aeroplanes (and other things) on the ground (see below).
Juliet Gardiner. The Thirties: An Intimate History. London: Harper Press, 2010. In similar vein to her Wartime, portrays British society from a wide variety of angles using a wide variety of sources. But are the 1930s really ‘Britain’s forgotten decade’, as the front cover has it?
[Cross-posted at Cliopatria.] Watching this: made me think of this:
In the summer of 1940, strange patterns like these began to appear in the sky over southern England. Today they wouldn’t be thought so unusual (except that they are on the twisty side), for contrails are a common sight now, especially over London. Seventy years ago, however, they were a little mysterious, even to those
